The restaurant closed

rrlund · Feb 1, 2013

The only restaurant in town closed up. The sign on the door says closed permanently due to the economy. There seems to be more behind it than that though. Things have been going down hill on a rocket sled for a couple of years now since the old gal's husband died. Somebody called the Health Department on her recently because her grand daughter was cooking part time and made no secret of having hepatitis C. They wrote her up for a heck of a lot more than that and gave her just so long to fix up and clean up. I guess they came back last Friday and she hadn't done anything,so they red tagged the place and locked it up.
The last owner of it says she didn't even own the building,that her daughter in Ohio does. Hopefully,she'll sell it to somebody who'll open it back up knowing that it's about the community,not about themselves. In other words,cater to the locals,not try to turn it in to some kind of a theme thing.

SweetFeet · Feb 1, 2013

rrlund,

That is too bad. Sounds like the death knell for another small town. It's sad. So many small towns around here have become bedroom/commuter communities... no restaurant, no store, some not even a gas station anymore. At least if they can keep a gas station, one can probably get a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk if needed.

FBH44 · Feb 1, 2013

Good grief, Hep-C is the gift that keeps on giving.

pete black · Feb 1, 2013

way before you are aware of it.

D beatty · Feb 1, 2013

The small mom & pop restaurants are getting to be a thing of the past. I have one two miles away and its on a major highway and I think thats what keeps it going. We have two in another town west of us. I try to use the small independent restaurants and I like good food and don't need all the frills.

in-too-deep · Feb 1, 2013

The little diner in my town closed last year. It was really good and I feel guilty for not going there more.

Mike M · Feb 1, 2013

In a small town I'd think it would sure be hard to make enough to pay the taxes and utilitys.

MSD · Feb 1, 2013

There was an article in the Sunday paper about that. They say all the baby boomer aged people should get tested for it especially if you ever had a blood transfusion. Cure is expensive and you have to give up liquor.

rrlund · Feb 1, 2013

Ya,we stopped going to Sunday breakfast when we found that out. She hadn't been cooking on Sunday morning,but didn't want to have to walk out if we went in there and she was.

Pitch · Feb 1, 2013

We have a part time diner,open for breakfast and lunch,closes about 1:30 or 2.

casenut1 · Feb 1, 2013

Hepatitis-C will kill you. Took my dad in 96, didn't even know he had it. No symptoms of any kind , just wham and ten days later he was gone.

IHRedRules · Feb 1, 2013

Randy, Which restaurant closed?

rrlund · Feb 1, 2013

The Choke and Puke. I mean...Chat and Chew. Gonna be a lot of snow birds out in the street when they get back from Florida.

rrlund · Feb 1, 2013

There used to be one in Addison Michigan that was like that. Open for breakfast and lunch,closed at 2PM.

S.Crum · Feb 1, 2013

We had a decent little restaurant open in the old dairy bar down on 220 a couple years ago. It seemed relatively busy and I would go there a night or 2 a week for supper. The waitresses were nice people, but the guy that did the cooking would come out in the doorway and stare at you like you really shouldn't be there. The food was ok but it was more comfortable making the 3 mile trip to town to another place. I noticed a "for rent' sign in the lot of the first place a couple weeks ago.

Whichester1 · Feb 1, 2013

Small restaurant business is tough without the problems you mention. Chains buy huge amounts of food on contract having minimal waste, etc.

Everything seems to be stacked against the small operator. Restaurant business, hardware store, auto parts store, farming, etc. The list could go on and on.

Spook · Feb 1, 2013

The restuarant biz is very competitive. My wife's old shop was in Brighton for 21 years. The pizza shop next door had as many as 20 owners over the year. We got to the point that we didn't want to talk to the new owner's, we knew that they would be going broke. The last manager there had worked for 4 owners in 3 years. All 4 went bankrupt, and a couple are suing each other. They say that restuarants and bars have a 90% failure rate. If you take out the big chains in the stats, I'd guess it would be 99%+. We just had a new place open up in Fowlerville, but a bar right around the corner closed. Might make farming look easy?

rrlund · Feb 1, 2013

Ya,there were several Ponoderosa Steak Houses that closed here a year or so ago. A Taco Bell and a Burger King in Greenville too. The restaraunt closest to home now is one 2 miles north of town,unless you want a burger at the biker bar or a hot dog at the bar down south of town. Even the deli downtown closed several years ago. Can't even get a sub sandwich.

Huskers86 · Feb 1, 2013

Our only town cafe went under 25 or more years ago. Lady opened a sandwich shop and both went under. Another cafe moved in and lasted a couple years and went under and now another cafe/c-store is running but I expect it to go out as they decided not to sell gas and then made the regular coffe drinkers mad so they don't support the place. There are 2 mechanics shops in town and one do0es welding. The welder is a good guy to do buisness with but the other is a bit pricey.....I think the old town will be a blip on a map before long.

Mark6005 · Feb 1, 2013

Seems all the Casey"s in small towns around here do well. A little of everything, few groceries, some food and gas.

rrlund · Feb 1, 2013

The hardware store is one of the only things keeping this town alive. If they ain't got it,you don't need it. They've got a small engine shop in-store too,do warranty the work for TSC as well as sell a fair whack of stuff themselves. Have a large equipment rental too,from hand tools to buldozers and excavators.
The main office for a chain of lumber yards is here too,but this yard is just a small shell of what it once was,volume wise. Their other yards seem to be fairly busy.
The milk plant closed in 75,the pharmacy a few years ago. The elevator closed and the village bought the property and tore it down,so that ain't coming back. Just not a lot left.

Don-Wi · Feb 1, 2013

There a couple good places in town by me, but I'm not that far away to make it a big inconvienence to drive out here. One place is a bit pricey, but the food is great and so is the service- they're more of a supper club.

The other is a small burger joint that was sold to a nice mexican family that started out in what used ot be a Blimpies in the gas station. Good food there tooi, and the price isn't bad either. They still carry the full burger joint menu, as well as the mexican menu. Even serve beer now...

Have atleast 4 other bars that I can think of, plus a bowling alley and another small diner just out of town. This town is still alive and well.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Traditional Farmer · Feb 1, 2013

Different places are really different I could go to at least 100 restaurants in a 15 mile radius of my farm,most come and go and I've never been in them but they're all packed on Fri and Sat Nite.
My favorite is the one that has the all you can eat Buffet with shrimp,ribs,great steaks,rare roast beef and about anything else you can name plus arourd 40 different desserts for $11.95

RayP(MI) · Feb 1, 2013

rr -YOU FORGOT THE UNDERTAKER. He's there to the bitter end!

RayP(MI) · Feb 1, 2013

Sub sandwich shop at the community college, rr DIL works there. Only open during college hours though.

Fergienewbee · Feb 1, 2013

rrlund;

Does the Greenville Legion still have fish frys? Do you know the price, if they do?

Larry

Fergienewbee · Feb 1, 2013

rrlund;

Does the Greenville Legion still have fish frys? Do you know the price, if they do?

Larry

rrlund · Feb 1, 2013

Ya,we went up there once this last summer for lunch when it was raining a little. Pretty good food. We send somebody down there from the township hall to get food during Board of Review too.

rrlund · Feb 1, 2013

I don't know if they do or not. The VFW here in town is down to once a month on their steak fries I think. They still have Sunday breakfast every week though.

rrlund · Feb 1, 2013

Ya,and the auto parts store,but the undertaker has pizzed off so many people around here,he's got less business than the old gal who knits socks for a living.

Royse · Feb 1, 2013

There's a little place in Ionia open for breakfast and lunch only.
Sheri's right on M66. Years ago it was Vivian's.
Downtown/Main street is suffering though.
One of the cafe's on Main street closed yesterday.

rrlund · Feb 1, 2013

We used to stop at Vivians for lunch when we were buying feed from Ionia elevator.

The restaurant closed

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