Rian’s Fatted Calf Meat Shoppe holds grand reopening

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - It was a day that many in the Bowling Green community have been waiting for. Rian’s Fatted Calf Meat Shoppe made its long-awaited return to the community with a grand reopening on Wednesday, March 8.

It marks their first day open for business since an EF-3 tornado ripped through the city of Bowling Green, and many other parts of Western Kentucky, in December 2021.

“It feels awesome, actually. I am really elated on how everything has been. You know, I never thought that this day would come again,” said Rian Barefoot, owner of Rian’s Fatted Calf Meat Shoppe. “It was a long time, and to be here and have it (grand reopening) happening is just a good feeling.”

After 15 months of cleanup and renovations, it is safe to say that Barefoot’s customers are just as excited as he is, if not more, for the grand reopening of a staple in the community.

“It feels like they are reopening all over again. It does not feel like a grand reopening. It feels like they are completely redoing it. It looks great in here. I was telling them (Rian’s employees) it does not even look like a tornado hit this place,” said Jonathan Stone, a longtime customer of Rian’s Fatted Calf Meat Shoppe.

Barefoot said the support he and his staff have received during the recovery process has been insurmountable, from the day the tornadoes swept through Bowling Green to today.

“This community is like family to us, they really are. We know everybody that comes in here by name, and if we do not, we get to know their name. I hope a lot of new people come in too, but it is just thrilling. It is very close to my heart to serve people and help people the way that people have done that for me in my life. I want to try to return that to other people,” said Barefoot.

“I promise you, if you give them an opportunity to earn your business, you are going to keep coming back. They take care of their people,” said Stone.

When customers come in to buy their select choice of meats, Barefoot said they are sure to leave with a smile on their faces.

“They are going to expect to get the same quality product they have always gotten. Good cuts of prime, aged beef, and all of our fresh pork products. They are also going to get that quality family service that we have always provided to people,” said Barefoot.

Rian’s Fatted Calf Meat Shoppe is just one of many businesses that have risen from the rubble of the December 2021 tornadoes, but hopefully, they are not the last.

For more information on Rian’s Fatted Calf Meat Shoppe, click here.

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