MIDDLEBURG – Dell Hoard Jr. has been hurrying up and waiting for nearly a year. Months of frustration, anticipation and hard work will finally come to an end on Monday morning when Grumpy’s Restaurant will reopen near Branan Field.

Instead of dealing with delays caused by the pandemic, labor shortages, supply chain slowdowns and red tape, Hoard now has to deal with more familiar issues like making sure there are enough sugar packets on the table, dishes on the line and coffee to keep their customers happy.

“It’s starting to lo look like the old Grumpy’s again,” Hoard said.

Fire ripped through the popular eatery on Jan. 19. The cause was determined to be an electrical issue in a wall near the dishwashing station. The restaurant closes after lunch, so nobody was inside when Fire Rescue was called shortly after 8 p.m.

From the start, Hoard, along with his parents and wife, Courtney, started facing roadblocks. Plans to reopen in springtime were pushed back to early fall. Then Thanksgiving. Then Christmas.

“We will be open on Monday (Jan. 2),” Hoard Jr. said. “We definitely planned on opening a couple of months ago. It’s really difficult when things are out of your control.

“We were naïve at the beginning. We were thinking (of reopening in) May, June, July – at the latest. We didn’t understand the significance, the fact it was going to be a total loss.”

The Hoards resisted the temptation to make changes to their 1805 Blanding Boulevard. Not only did they not expand, they replicated the décor to make sure diners won’t notice a difference.

“The store is going to be the store. We love the location,” he said. “This is the space that we have. We’re going to keep on doing what we did prior, make sure we stay on our game.”

Most important, he said, is there were no changes made to the menu or service.

Of the 43 original employees, Hoard said 29 decided to return.

“It’s tough when you’re waiting around a full year,” he said. “A few had to move on.”

The restaurant will open at 5:30 a.m.