SARASOTA, Fla. — After 67 years, an iconic restaurant in Sarasota has officially closed.
The owner of Hob Nob Drive-In restaurant on North Washington Blvd had planned to shut down Wednesday, but ran out of items when the word of their closing began spreading.
Crews started removing appliances and fittings while several local customers stopped by.
"I heard they were closing and today was their last day so I wanted to make sure that I could come over one more time," M.J. Horen said.
"We wanted to get a big last burger," Heather Younkman-Ivery, a former waitress, said.
Many of those who came to the restaurant were just a day late. They came in only to find Hob Nob signs down with several power tools on tables, unscrewed stools and a closed kitchen.
The restaurant opened first in 1957 along US 301 and has been a popular spot for its signature burgers.
"This place has been an institution and there's a lot of fans like myself that are really bummed to hear that it's closing," Horen said.
"I had worked here. My grandfather took my grandmother here for their first date over root beer floats and I find it hard to believe. I just can't see them stopping now," Younkman-Ivery added.
Cary Spicuzza, 67, who has owned the restaurant with his wife for the last 33 years, said it's a wrap for them.
He couldn't wait until June 30 when the five-year lease was up and attempted to slip out of the business and into retirement unnoticed.
"I know it was a big shock for everybody. I guess bittersweet, you know, I had a great run, made a few bucks here, became a semi-celebrity and so yeah I am just retiring," Spicuzza said.
According to Spicuzza, the post-COVID era has forever changed the landscape for businesses like his.
"Prices are higher, there's a sense in the labor force that they don't have to come in every day, but they only need to work two or three days a week so you have to rely on people and that was part of it. I was working the grill five days a week," Spicuzza said.
He said it has also gotten hotter in Sarasota over the last few years and a lack of affordable housing has made it hard to recruit or retain staff.
"People cannot afford to live in Sarasota anymore so, that's half the battle," Spicuzza said.
Even though he will no longer have the responsibility of running a restaurant after doing so for decades, there are a few things Spicuzza said he would miss.
"The people that have been coming in. I get choked up, but at the end of the day you've got to retire and that's what I'm doing," he said through tears.
While Hob Nob is closed for now, the future of the building remains uncertain.
The general manager for 29 years said she is confident that there would be a tasty option at the same location. She hopes to start a downsized operation in the near future which could involve food trucks.