The Chili’s Grill & Bar Restaurant at 369 Frontage Road is working to reopen by late November after a kitchen fire this past spring destroyed the interior.
The shell of the building is intact, though the exterior windows are boarded up with a sign that refers would-be customers to Chili’s restaurants in Lisbon and Montville.
Pepper Dining of Charlotte and Providence, the restaurant franchisee for Brinker International of Dallas, the owner of Chili’s, has finally received insurance reimbursement and is moving ahead to rebuild, said Pepper Dining Regional Director Richard Brittingham.
The franchisee has gotten rid of the smell of smoke and has created blueprints that it has submitted to the city for approval, Brittingham said. The building will remain within the same footprint, while the seating will be adjusted and the interior décor upgraded, he said.
The franchisee is also getting ready to bid the work out to contractors, he added.
