Stan Maddux, For The News-Dispatch
NEW BUFFALO, Mich. - Hannah's restaurant in New Buffalo, considered by many to be a fine dining institution and regional destination, has closed.
News of the doors shutting has sent shock waves through a community that had grown accustomed not only to the delicacies on the menu but the brilliance of numerous twinkling lights that radiated from the extravagant building every night, especially during the holidays.
"I'm really sorry to hear it," said New Buffalo City Councilman Jack Kennedy.
Hannah's was owned and operated for 23 years by Lee and Sherri Waddle. The Waddles said the deep recession resulted in a noticeable drop in business.
In addition, many customers who kept coming ordered less, citing a need to tighten the purse strings, Sherri Waddle said.
Waddle said the restaurant also was impacted by a sharp decline in catering and other business from area manufacturers like Sanlo that recently announced the closure of its Michigan City plant along with nearby Sullair, which has laid off several hundred from its workforce.
As a result, there were fewer Christmas parties to host and fewer workers and executives directed at the restaurant for company-paid meals.
She said the harsh winter also didn't help, keeping many would-be visitors home.
"The economics just got us," Waddle said.
Waddle said the nearby Four Winds Casino was not a factor, saying Hannah's lost some of its customer base to the restaurants but the casino also brought in some new business to kind of even things out.
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