BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Battle Creek said goodbye Sunday to more than 30 years of history, food and friendship.
The beloved downtown restaurant Clara’s on the River closed after a well-attended brunch as workers sang “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,” it’s the same song they sang when customers first entered its doors in 1992.
- Previous coverage: Historic railroad depot turned restaurant Clara’s on the River closing for good
Its nostalgic mood is fitting for Clara’s, a diner inside a 19th-century train station filled with relics of Battle Creek’s proud industrial history.
Owners Ross and Julie Simpson were overwhelmed with letters, cards and Facebook messages since announcing they would close last week.
It marks the end of a dream for Ross who expanded here from the original Clara’s restaurant in Lansing with his business partner Peter Jubeck…