COMMUNITY INN

ROANOKE, Va. – It’s no secret how much restaurants and small businesses have struggled to survive as coronavirus cases and restrictions from the state have fluctuated. One restaurant in the Grandin Village area of Roanoke has dealt with even more and need your help after a recent theft. “They seem to be going after the gambling machine money,” speculated Morrow. The thief was able to get away with hundreds of dollars, said Morrow. If you have any information about this incident, you’re asked to call Roanoke Police.

ROANOKE, Va. – A Grandin Village staple is temporarily closed after one of its employees tested positive for the coronavirus. The restaurant learned of the positive test on Thursday, and while it’s not VDH mandated, decided to close while the staff is tested. The employee who tested positive had not been to the restaurant since June 27 and is now quarantined at home. While closed, the restaurant will be cleaned and sanitized. Last year, the restaurant was closed for eight months after a fire.

ROANOKE, Va. – The Grandin Village community is mourning the loss of a beloved restaurant owner. Bruce Morrow, the owner of the Community Inn, died last week after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Morrow is survived by his children including his son Mont, who says his father always wanted the Community Inn to live true to its name. The family held a private service for family and friends to honor Morrow’s legacy over the weekend. Morrow was 85 years old when he died.

ROANOKE, Va. – For the first time in eight months Thursday, the sound of happy customers, not the sound of renovation, filled the Community Inn. “We were going down the street and my wife looked in the window and said, ‘Oh, my God. “I jumped for joy when I saw people in here," Nick’s wife, Carol, said. “It felt great to pull the plastic down and have people start coming in the door," Morrow said. The smoking section of the restaurant, where the fire started, has been opened up and smoking is no longer allowed.

ROANOKE, Va. - Two restaurants in Grandin Village are nearly ready for their grand reopening. Community Inn and On the Rise have both been closed since a massive fire that happened early Easter Sunday. The owners of both restaurants now say they may be ready to open together by Thanksgiving. "I can't wait to see everybody back in here," Community Inn owner Mont Morrow said. "I've got customers asking me every day and blowing up my (Facebook) messenger," said On the Rise owner Jeff Batson.

ROANOKE, Va. - After months of setbacks, renovations have finally started at a local Roanoke restaurant destroyed in a fire. Flames tore through the Community Inn restaurant in Grandin Village in April. When the Community Inn finally started work to rebuild, they discovered asbestos and had to wait for permits to safely remove it. You have been missed and we're just ready to have you back and come back to the normal Grandin," Prickitt said. The hope is to open Community Inn by October.