A staple restaurant in southern Hall County is closing its doors after more than 40 years in operation.
Nichols Diner on Atlanta Highway near Flowery Branch will have its final day of business on February 3, according to a social media post Thursday evening from Loretta Nichols. Nichols' husband and owner of the restaurant, Alan Nichols, said it was a tough decision.
"I've got long-term customers and they're blowing our phones up right now," Alan Nichols said. "Having two restaurants is one thing, but I've got a health issue and I've been in it for 40 years...I think it's just time."
The Nichols family also operates Loretta's Country Kitchen on Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood and Alan Nichols said the family will continue to operate that restaurant. In her social media post, Loretta Nichols thanked the community for the support over the decades.
"It has been a joy to work and serve our community for 40 years," Loretta Nichols said. "Hope to see you all before we say goodbye to a lifetime of sharing meals with you."
According to its website, Nichols Diner started as Dairy Mart roughly a mile north of the current Nichols location on Atlanta Highway in the Blackshear Place area. Alan Nichols' brother, Craig, opened the new location in 2003 and operated it until his retirement in 2020 when Alan again took ownership.
"It's going to be hard to leave, but at the same time, it's time," Alan Nichols said. "I'm fixing to turn 60 and after 40 years, I've about had enough."
Alan Nichols said a group looking to operate another restaurant is purchasing the property, but he said it will be a different type of food to what Nichols has offered over the years.
"This kind of food, there's nobody doing it," Alan Nichols said. "It's an old-fashioned restaurant as far as the menu...I've got customers saying 'what am I going to do' and I said, well, I don't know."
