‘Thank you for the joy.’ This Columbus area restaurant is closing after almost a decade
A restaurant is permanently closing this weekend after serving the Cataula community for almost a decade.
Pies and Thighs announced on Facebook that its last day will be Sept. 21 or until supplies last. The restaurant served various types of food including pizza, fried chicken and shrimp.
This news comes after the restaurant temporarily closed earlier in September because their exhaust fan wasn’t working properly, creating an unsafe work environment.
The owners, Lane and Larry Adams, decided to close the restaurant because they were getting older and felt that it was time, general manager Erin Turpin told the Ledger-Enquirer.
“I think they’ve just come to the point that they want to enjoy each other in life,” Turpin said.
Pies and Thighs plans to continue serving a limited menu until they run out of food, she said. The restaurant has not ordered any more ingredients in anticipation of the closing, ensuring the full menu will not be available.
After the restaurant closes, Turpin said, she will miss interacting with the customers the most.
There’s a woman who comes on the first Wednesday of each month. A group of women called the “Crunch Bunch” often worked out at the nearby Crunch Fitness. There was a group from Aflac and others who worked in offices near the restaurant.
“We did not realize the outpouring of support and the sadness of the customers that we would have until (the closing) was announced this week,” Turpin said.
After the Sept. 16 announcement on Facebook, people have been coming in expressing their support for Pies and Thighs and remembering their time eating at the restaurant. One woman visited the restaurant Monday and cried about the change, Turpin said.
Pies and Thighs became an important part of Cataula, she said. Turpin has lived in Cataula her whole life, and she is happy about the role the business played in helping introduce the younger generation to the workforce with their first jobs.
“We’ve done a lot of the work experience with the high schools, where we report their hours and community with the teachers,” Turpin said.
Turpin believes that although Pies and Thighs permanently will be closed, the space in Cataula will live on with another business in the future.
But for now, Turpin and the owners are glad for the time they’ve had serving their customers.
“Thank you for letting me be a part of your life,” Turpin said. “Thank you for the joy that you brought to mine.”
This story was originally published September 19, 2024 at 9:30 AM.
