Beloved restaurant and Waffle House rival to close in days after 15 years of service as owner says they’re ‘crushed’

THE owner of a popular small-town coffee shop has announced that the business is closing due to high grocery costs.

For the past 15 years, the Red Wagon Cafe in Vidor, Texas has been a favorite destination for diner fare like eggs, burgers and fried chicken steak.

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But now the days of the restaurant are numbered. It closes on April 2nd.

Owner Sherry Mills made the announcement in a Facebook post earlier this month.

“A year ago, a box of eggs was $17 a box,” she told 12News.

“Now they cost $80 a case.”

Mills attempted to raise their prices to offset these skyrocketing costs, but that turned off many customers.

“For me to make a profit and raise my prices, people won’t pay,” the owner said.

“I wouldn’t pay it.”

A few loyal customers still come to the restaurant, but Mills said they usually choose the cheapest items on the menu.

“My heart is broken,” said one longtime customer at Mills Post.

“This is my second home, I’ve been spoiled and got it my way since we started going there,” they said. “I don’t know what we’ll do without you.”

When another customer told her young daughter about the impending closure, she burst into tears.

The owner of another restaurant, Touch of Cajun Cafe in nearby Nederland, commented that they face similar problems.

“I have a loan for my house,” they said.

“We needed working capital to get through the summer. Since then, food costs have increased by 16 percent. The more we increase menu prices, the fewer people come.”

The owner said electricity and gas costs have doubled, while insurance costs have increased by 25 percent.

Employee demands for higher wages were also a challenge.

“Praying for you!” Mills replied. “Rip your heart out, I know the feeling.”

Now she’s in the process of clearing out the groceries the restaurant still has in stock, which is why the menu is currently limited.