Paula Deen's Family Kitchen slated to reopen March 8 at Pier Park in Panama City Beach

PANAMA CITY BEACH — After closing in November 2019, only months after it opened for business, Paula Deen's Family Kitchen is set to reopen in Pier Park in March. 

According to Terri Jordan, tax official for Panama City Beach's licensing and business tax department, the restaurant has an active license in the city limits and is slated to reopen March 8. 

When asked what led the business to reopen, Pier Park officials referred the News Herald to Paula Deen's corporate offices. Brand officials did not reply before deadline. 

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In a past statement from Paula Deen Ventures, the parent company for the television host and chef, the restaurants' licensing partner, Phoenix Hospitality, decided to close locations on the Beach and in Destin in 2019. The closings were abrupt, particularly for the Panama City Beach restaurant, which only opened its doors about eight months earlier.

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"Paula Deen Ventures plans to work with the landlords at these locations while considering to reopen them next spring," a Venture statement from 2019 said. "The possible restructuring of the business would provide our guests with exceptional dining experience that lives up to our brand standards."

The former Pier Park location opened on April 1, 2019, to great fanfare, with Paula Deen and her husband, Michael Groover, visiting the venue for its grand opening celebration.