Buckner’s in Corbin ’99 percent’ likely closed for good

The struggling economy appears to have claimed another casualty in the local business world as Buckner’s Bar and Grill announced via front door sign this week it will most likely close for good.

A sign on the door says that the once popular south Corbin eatery is closed temporarily, but owner Johnny Buckner, who declined an interview, told the News Journal the establishment was most likely closed for good while standing outside of the business on Monday.

"I would say it’s a 99 percent chance we will not reopen," Buckner said. "It’s just a tough economy right now and money is really tight. This is one of the toughest things I have ever had to do to be honest."

There is speculation that Buckner is considering reopening the restaurant in Jellico, Tenn., where his food first became popular. Buckner would not confirm or deny that notion Monday.

"I may consider it," he said. "We are just not sure what we are going to do right now."

As for the restaurant’s closing, the economy may be one reason, but there is also speculation of possible underlying problems that would have been costly to fix, according to Whitley County Health Department officials.
As recent as August, health inspectors had visited Buckner’s for follow up visits regarding previous inspections (each of which are printed on the News Journal’s stats page). On Aug. 12, Buckner’s received a score of 86 on their regular inspection, but a lengthy list of remarks were as follows, with at least two of the violations being categorized as critical; dishwasher sanitizer in bad repair, i.e. no sanitization; can opener blade soiled; utensils soiled; inside ice machine soiled; inside ice bin soiled; shelf below grill soiled; three compartment sink at bar leaking; insects observed in kitchen; back door in bad repair; floors heavily soiled under grill and in dishwasher room; walls in bad repair throughout kitchen.

"There were a few critical items that required correcting and a follow up visit," WCHD Environmentalist Paul Lawson said. "Anytime you have those situations you have to go back."

Once Lawson returned, he said at least one of the critical situations had been corrected and another was in the process of being fixed.

Lawson returned for the follow up inspection on Aug. 25 and said the restaurant’s score improved to a 90. Lawson said in his remarks that the sanitation problem had been corrected and the item related to the insects was currently being corrected. Another follow up was scheduled for September 25, but that’s when Lawson said he learned that the business was closed temporarily.

Whether or not the closure is related to the insect problem, Lawson said he could not say for sure, but he felt confident that it wasn’t. Lawson would not speculate on the matter of the alleged insects and said he was unsure of just how much information he was legally allowed to divulge.

"I went to do the follow up and of course, there was a sign on the door that said they were closed temporarily," Lawson said. "Whether or not this is related to the insect problem, I really can’t say for sure.

"I can say that I have never known of a place closing because of this same problem," he added. "But when you consider the economic situation, it may have been a case where they couldn’t afford to fix the problem."

The building that houses Buckner’s is owned by Corbin resident Sudhir Patel, who also owns the Country Inn and Suites that sits adjacent to the restaurant. Patel was unavailable for comment.