BRISTOL, Tenn. – After 40 years, Shoney’s restaurant on West State Street will close Sunday, leaving a group of longtime customers without the restaurant many considered home.
Originally a popular coffee shop with curb service, the decision to close comes after several years where the now dine-in restaurant failed to yield a profit, Shoney’s officials said.
Employees were told at a Sunday meeting about the closing and word quickly spread among a loyal group of regular patrons, including some who have visited the restaurant since it opened in 1967.
Jean Smith remembered meeting her husband for a bite to eat when the Shoney’s was still brand new. Yet, it wasn’t until his death seven years ago that Smith, who was suddenly left without family in the area, began regularly dining at the restaurant.
For her, it’s more than the loss of an eatery, it’s the loss of a family, she said.
"What was so devastating is that it’s not the food, or the building, or the restaurant being closed, it’s that someone cares," Smith said.
Shoney’s officials also say it’s the location.
Company spokesman Mike Orzechowski said the closing of nearby businesses, coupled with the expansion of retail and restaurant choices near Exit 7, have contributed to the restaurant’s decline.
The restaurant has failed to make money for four or five years, Orzechowski said.
"We’re like a family and there’s nothing worse than having to do this ... but we’ve done everything short of giving food away, and it’s not happening," he said.
Eight other area Shoney’s, including the location on Lee Highway in Bristol Virginia, will remain open.
Employees at the West State Street restaurant were told they would receive first priority for openings at the other area locations, leaving their immediate future up in the air. The uncertainty was one reason the announcement was troubling, one waitress said.
"When we got the news Sunday. It was very emotional," Sheena Webb said, "It’s harder on us than most because most of these customers are like family."
Orzechowski said he didn’t know what will happen to the vacated space.
Shoney’s operates 284 restaurants in 18 states. Its corporate headquarters is located in Nashville, Tenn.
BRENT CARNEY is a Media General multimedia intern and can be reached at (276) 645-2568 or bcarney@bristolnews.com
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