Monday morning marked the start of a new chapter for a longtime local favorite restaurant that is starting a second life.

Pizza Farm, which was lost to fire in January, is making a grand return starting this fall with a groundbreaking ceremony held at the forthcoming location on Marquette Road, on a portion of the Sanders family property.

The new restaurant will be built in a pole barn style and is set to have a much larger capacity than the previous location on Knox Mountain Road.

During a ceremony on Monday morning, Pizza Farm owner Tommy Sanders thanked everyone for their support following the fire, especially those who donated to help out employees while they have been out of work waiting for the restaurant to be able to return. Among those who got a special thanks from Sanders was Cedarstream, who helped with sales of Pizza Farm shirts following the fire and raised thousands of dollars in the process.

“I’ll be glad when we open the doors,” Sanders said.

As a gift to attendees, the Sanders family made sure that those who wanted one got a jar of Pizza Farm’s famous salad dressing to take home.

The new restaurant will be within sight of Rockmart High School near the intersection of Marquette Road and Highway 113.

Check back for construction updates on Pizza Farm as they become available.