Days before Christmas, the Jacob Myers Restaurant on the River closed after 25 years in Dayton, Tennessee — the latest in a number of longtime area restaurants to close in 2023 as the restaurant industry shifted during and after the pandemic.
In a text message to employees, Jacob Myers' owner Stacey Sholl announced the closing of the popular restaurant "with a heavy heart," saying the business had faced rising costs with lower sales.
"In the past 12 months, we have experienced unprecedented increases in food costs, labor costs, service costs, utility costs and rent costs," Sholl said in her text message. "At the same time, our overall sales have been at historic lows. We have continued until we could find no way forward."
Lance, Kevin and Stacey Sholl owned Jacob Myers at 185 Chickamauga Drive on the Richland Creek near Point Park in Dayton. The restaurant's menu included steaks, seafood and gourmet sandwiches, and the eatery enjoyed a 4.5 rating on TripAdvisor.
The restaurant began in 1998 in downtown Dayton and was a hot spot for its food and free Wi-Fi. In September 2010, the owners relocated the eatery a few blocks east to a larger space overlooking Richland Creek and renamed their enterprise Jacob Myers Restaurant on the River.
The move into the 5,100-square-foot lodge-style building on Richland Creek tripled the tabletops and expanded the restaurants's menu. Along with the soups, sandwiches and wraps that previously brought in customers for lunch, the restaurant added a dinner menu, wine list, cocktails and beer.
In her announcement of the closure, Sholl thanked the restaurant staff for its dedication and hard work and said she knows that "the closing of the business will impact all of us."
"The decision was not made lightly, and it comes with great sadness," Sholl said.
Kevin Whitfield, the former general manager of the restaurant who had worked at Jacob Myers for the past 11 years, said the shutdown just five days ahead of Christmas was a surprise and hardship for many of the 25 employees of the business. Whitfield set up a crowdfunding account to aid the dislocated workers.
"It was poor timing," Whitfield told WTVC News Channel 9. "I don't think it was done appropriately. But I'm more worried and concerned about the staff."
Lance Sholl, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for a seat on the Dayton City Council in 2021, said in a social media post about his campaign two years ago that the restaurant had employed hundreds of local people through its history.
None of the owners of the restaurant could be reached for comment. The building that housed Jacob Myers Restaurant on the River was built in 2002 and is owned by Rock Solid LP in Dayton, according to Rhea County property records. A spokesperson for Rock Solid Rentals declined comment Tuesday about the future use of the building.
With rising food and labor costs along with staffing challenges in a tight labor market, the past year has brought a number of restaurant closures, including a half dozen other longtime eateries in the Chattanooga area.
— Big River Grille & Brewing Works closed its downtown location in October after 30 years of operation.
— O'Charley's closed its last Chattanooga location in East Brainerd in June after 30 years of operating on the site.
— The Honest Pint closed in May after nearly 13 years of operation on Patten Parkway downtown.
— The Barley Taproom on M.L. King Boulevard closed in September after six years of operation.
— Walk On's sports bar in downtown Chattanooga closed in May after a year and a half of operation.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340.