Wally’s Restaurant in East Ridge closing

EAST RIDGE, Tenn. (WDEF) — Yet another local business is closing. Next week, a foundational family restaurant in East Ridge will be shutting its doors.

“My friend Denise and I, we’d come here and we would start out one day for breakfast. And we would wind up the same day here for dinner. So, it’s like home.”

Wally’s has been a staple of East Ridge for the past 34 years.

They announced on Tuesday that they would be serving their last meals on the 18th.

Owner Glen Meadows said that he felt now was the right time to start a new chapter. “I’ve come to a position where I feel like its the time in my life to step away from this and do something a little bit less stressful. The restaurant business is stressful in itself. I tell people it’s like dog years almost, its tough years to put in,” Meadows said. “This corner deserves more of something a little more energetic and I feel like it’s my time to go another route in my life.”

Wally’s customers have been so supportive that they’ve turned it from a restaurant to a family.

“I think east ridge is really going to miss Wally’s. They would come and enjoy the food, enjoy being with each other. And it’s like there’s no congregation and no place to meet now with a whole bunch of friends. Yes, we have other restaurants here, but they don’t have the same atmosphere that we do at Wally’s.”

Although the news of their closing has been abrupt, Meadows wants every customer to know how appreciated they are.

“At the end of the day, its all about the customer,” Meadows said. “It’s all about providing a product and providing a service to the customer. This community has just been an overwhelming support for us.”

You can still support Wally’s at their East Ridge location until March 18. Their location on McCallie Avenue will still be open as well.