the smedley log - suburban scrawl

Goodbye, Goodnoe’s

This sad news comes from the Bucks County Courier Times:

After more than 30 years in the restaurant industry, Raymond “Skip” Goodnoe is calling it quits and closing the historic restaurant and dairy bar that has carried the family name for five decades. …(full text)

The Bucks County landmark will close its doors to the public this coming Labor Day. If it seems a cruel irony that such a business should announce its fate over the Memorial Day weekend, which has become the popular symbol of summer’s start, then at least it’s fitting that the establishment will remain open until summer’s symbolic end.

Here’s to one more summer with that delicious, locally-owned, locally-produced Goodnoe’s ice cream. If you live in the area and you haven’t ever been there, or you haven’t been there in a while, you’ll still have the chance over the next few months before it’s gone.

Oh, I’m sure you’ll get an Applebees or Outback Steakhouse to replace it. The wheels of progress never fail, you see?

There’s already an Applebee’s in the neighborhood, but an Outback Steakhouse? I don’t think they have one of those just yet…

Is it a “happy end” at least – the owner rich and retiring to Tahiti? Or a failure to thrive (well, continue to thrive)?

I feel like I see alot of small businesses in my area come and go and feel sad in general when I see it, but feel especially sad when I see longtime businesses go (like Yogi’s Restaurant which was there for almost 20 yrs at 10th & Walnut) or smaller craft-based niche businesses. But I try to believe in some of those cases, in the abscense (sp?) of any direct knowlege, that maybe some of them are just happy retirements. Or maybe the result of a winning lottery ticket.

Advanced Naivete 101 – I know…

I read the same story the other day. My understaning is that the owner wants to retire and nobody else in the family wants to take over right now.

I think putting in something similar like a Perkins would be nice. Goodnoe’s was the only reasonably priced place to go for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that offered a variety of deserts. We don’t have any other type of family style diners in Newtown.
We certainly don’t need anymore pizza or hoagie shops! We also have enough banks and pharmacies as well, especially in that 1/4 mile radius.

Goodnoe’s will be missed tremendously.

I hear you, Dawn.

I’ve been going to Goodnoe’s since I was a kid. It’s the last place of it’s kind in the area.