J.W. Filmore’s closes its doors

Garry Darnell has been cooking at J.W. Filmore’s for the past 19 years.

In fact, it was through a fellow employee at the Mount Pleasant restaurant that Darnell met his wife.

“This is half of my life,” he said. “This has been my home.”

The family-owned and operated restaurant closed its doors for good Sunday afternoon after 25 years in Mount Pleasant.

Darnell has a lot of memories with the restaurant, including getting to know the customers.

“A group of ladies we would call ‘the bridge ladies’ would come in every Monday to play cards,” Darnell said. “They had been playing ever since I started working here.”

Restaurant Supervisor Meagan Kurnat said the restaurant has been struggling for a variety of reasons.

She said the restaurant once had a manager who embezzled more than $100,000, making it difficult to compete in a small town market.

Kurnat said the restaurant just can’t keep up with other area businesses around town.

“It’s a college town,” Darnell said. “College kids want places with alcohol and buffets, they don’t want family dinning.”

Walgreens has been looking into buying the establishment but no decisions have been made yet, Kurnat said.

Prep Cook Shirley Klein has worked for the restaurant since its opening in 1983 and said she is very sad to see it close.

“I worked with a lot of nice people,” Klein said. “I became good friends with the customers.”

Klein said this past weekend was packed with customers after word spread about the restaurant closing.

Mount Pleasant resident Tina Tupper and her family are some of the regulars who dine at the restaurant three times per day, Kurnat said.

“My husband Neil has been coming here for coffee as long as this place has been open,” she said. “The waitresses all know us by name.”

Tupper’s 11-year-old son A.J. said he is sad to see the restaurant go and will miss the food and waitresses.

His mother said he had been coming to J.W. Filmore’s since he was 4 years old, and the staff has watched him grow up.

She said her family probably will go to a place like Lil’ Chef for their meals, but it will not be the same.

Kurnat said the business was best known for their Friday fish fry’s and home cooking.

“This place paid my way through college,” she said. “I met a lot of friends here and will miss them and a lot of the regulars.”

The remaining food and kitchen equipment such as pots and pans will be taken to their other J.W. Filmore’s restaurant located in Petoskey, Darnell said.

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