Longtime Belleville, Illinois, institution Fischer’s Restaurant will be shutting its doors next month. In a Facebook message, owners announced that they’ll be closing the restaurant on February 15, after almost 80 years in business.
According to general manager Corea Buck, there were a multitude of reasons behind the decision to close the family-owned business.
“I started here 25 years ago, and back then, we were the only game in town for banquets and fine dining,” she said. Since then, competition has increased, with many chain restaurants and banquet centers opening in the area. She added that costs have been on the rise, including insurance for the restaurant’s 60 employees, and the general state of the economy hasn’t helped.
Buck said the owners decided to wait until next month to close to give employees a chance to find other jobs and allow customers time to come by one last time. As of now, according to Buck, there are no plans to open another restaurant.
Matt Sorrell is a staff writer for Sauce Magazine.
This article appears in January 2017.