CK Grill & Bar reopens in Columbus months after flooding gutted popular restaurant

Four months after historic flooding wrecked the Nebraska countryside; communities are still cleaning up and recovering. While farmers were hardest hit, local businesses also suffered significant losses.

Along Highway 81 on the outskirts of Columbus, you’ll pass CK Grill & Bar, a humble restaurant serving Columbus for over 15 years. That service came to a brief halt after flooding nearly destroyed the building, but owner Chelsea Kallenbach and her family weren’t going to give up.

“We were always determined to rebuild even if it wouldn’t have been the same location. We would have moved if we had to,” Kallenbach said.

The deadly floods hit the Columbus region hard during the middle of march. Bridges were washed away, farm land ruined, livestock killed, and several residents had to be rescued.

At CK’s, over 3 feet of water and over an inch of mud settled in the building causing over $100,000 in damage. The repair was long and dirty, but thanks to help from the community, CK was able to clean up and start over.

“We actually had about 30 people from the lake that’s behind us come and help as well as family and some other friends that were able to get here. That first day we got it pretty stripped down to as much as we could,” Kallenbach said.

George Dohman and his friends have been coming to ck regularly since it opened nearly 20 years ago. For the past thirty years, he and his friend Richard have made it a point to have a burger and beer on Fridays. With ck being closed, it was hard to keep that tradition alive. When ck finally reopened on august first, they wasted no time getting back at it.

“It was bad news but we soon found it was going to be reconstructed and we were very happy,” Dohman said.

It was a home away from home for the group of friends of over three decades.

“We were homeless for 4.5 months you know since the flood,” Richard Preuss said. He and Dohman have come to CK nearly every week since it opened. Preuss lives over 30 miles away in Lindsay and makes special trips to Columbus just for CK.

Despite the devastation and high costs, the flood provided the local restaurant with a unique opportunity. They expanded the kitchen, got brand new equipment, and remodeled the dining area. Regulars say it looks better than ever before.

“It’s been a very humbling experience, almost a blessing in disguise that we’ve been able to start over. To have that support has been incredible. It’s been overwhelming sometimes,” Kallenbach said.