NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – The owner of a New Smyrna Beach staple that burned down in March said he plans to re-open.
Pappas Drive-In opened for business in 1970, and it was purchased by Vic Canoe in 2023.
In January, Brad Pitt spent a week filming a movie inside the diner. In March, a fire devastated the building and forced the business to close.
“We come pretty often, and it’s sad,” Ganoe said. “When it first happened, I collected a menu, a table setting. I knew I had to have them.”
Just weeks before the fire, Pappas was the most popular place in town, as superstar Brad Pitt spent a week filming scenes for a major motion picture.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
“We have staff members that are actually in the dining room with him and working with him, so yeah, it was good. We had a lot of fun, and this is a lot of memories there,” Ganoe said. “It was hundreds of (fans) standing out in the street every day before the sun came up and long after the sun went down. It was a big hubbub. There were about 40 semis here. There was a massive amount of equipment. There were hundreds of people running around here. The people were out in full force with their cameras, definitely.”
Ganoe said with the support of the community, he plans to be open by the time the movie hits the big screen.
“It’s going to be something pretty great and as big as I can make it,” Ganoe said.
Currently, Ganoe said he is taking bids to demolish the building.
Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below: