03/16/2026
Yesterday was our final day at the spot that has been ours for the last 17 years— 695 Short E St.
It feels strange to write a farewell to an address, a location. But the truth is, this place has never been just that. For us — and for so many of you — it’s been a piece of our life.
While the business itself has been around much longer, we’ve had the privilege of owning and operating it here for the last 17 years, after purchasing it in 2009. Seventeen years of mornings that started before the sun came up, nights that stretched long past closing time, and more memories than these old walls should be able to hold.
And these walls… if they could talk, they’d have one heck of a story to tell.
They’ve seen heartbreak and panic. They’ve seen happiness and relief. They’ve heard laughter spill across the room and quiet sobs in the corner booth. They’ve witnessed celebrations, reunions, and ordinary days that somehow became unforgettable.
These walls have watched kids walk through the door for their very first job, nervous and unsure, only for us to watch them grow up right in front of our eyes. We’ve seen them graduate, pack up, and head off into the next chapters of their lives— all within these walls.
They’ve also seen our own babies come into this world and grow up. The oldest Norris’s baby, that beautiful little boy that used to sit in the highchair hooked to the end of the server’s bar and greet every customer to walk through those doors, he’s turning 17 this year. So many family gatherings for us. So many other families gathered around the tables. So many small, sacred moments of everyday life unfolded right here at 695 Short E St.
That’s why leaving it hurts.
In the weeks that followed our announcement of the events that led us here, this community showed up for us in ways we never expected.
The love you’ve shown us has been overwhelming. Truly. You rallied around us, filled our hearts when they were heavy, and reminded us that what we built here was never just a restaurant. It was a place people cared about, and that means more to us than we can ever adequately express.
I suppose that’s the sanctity of these small mom-and-pop shops—the small-town, locally owned restaurants that become more than a place to eat. They become part of the fabric of a community. When one of them closes, it doesn’t feel like a fast-food chain going out of business. It feels like an old friend being done wrong, dealt a hand they never deserved. These places hold our laughter, our celebrations, our quiet moments and hard days. They’ve watched generations grow up across the same tables. And maybe that’s the beauty of it all—that something as simple as a little restaurant can matter so deeply to so many people.
But while yesterday closed a chapter at 695 Short E St, it does not end our story.
We are still hopeful for a relocation. We’re working toward what the next chapter might look like. Nothing is set in stone just yet, so we can’t make any announcements — but we’re not done. We hope we are not done.
Not by a long shot.
So this isn’t the end.
It’s just goodbye to 695 Short E St.
And when the dust settles, we’ll catch you on the flip side. ❤️
