Starting in June, Ohio State students will have to look for a new place to get a garbage omelet or home style chicken and noodles.
Nancy’s Home Cooking, a small restaurant beloved by many students and Clintonville locals, will be closing June 1. The owner, Cindy King, has increased health problems and has fallen into bankruptcy after 38 years of ownership.
ROBERT WALKER/THE LANTERNNancy’s Restaurant in Clintonville.“I have to give up my license,” King said. “They don’t make it easy for these small businesses to exist anymore. We fall under the same qualifications as the big fancy restaurants.”
In order to keep Nancy’s open under new ownership it must get a new ventilation system, updated air conditioning, new floors and more restrooms.
Nancy’s has been an OSU student favorite for years, King said. Many football players who are now professional athletes, as well as coaches, have been regulars throughout the years.
Customers have been doing what they can to try save Nancy’s. There is a Facebook group trying to raise money, and people stand in front of the restaurant holding signs that say “Keep Nancy’s open.”
Some people have even donated labor materials or overpaid their bills, King said.
“Places like Nancy’s are essential for the OSU and Clintonville community to maintain their identities,” said Conor Malloy, an OSU alumnus and creator of the Save Nancy’s Home Cooking group on Facebook.
Malloy washed dishes at Nancy’s when he was in school, and has lately been known as one of the sign-bearers in front of the restaurant. He says King has been generous to her patrons, often undercharging college students and those who couldn’t afford their meals.
In fact, many OSU students go at least once a week because of the way the staff treats their patrons. Regulars are known by name and their usual orders are memorized, said Greg Varner, a masters student studying theatre. Varner has been a regular at Nancy’s since 2003.
“Nancy’s is more than a restaurant; it’s a bit of a sanctuary for many people,” Varner said.
Traffic at the restaurant has decreased tremendously since recent construction started on High Street, King said. This might have played a big part in the downfall of Nancy’s.
“I was a terrible business person, but I made it work for 38 years,” King said. “If someone in my family or anybody decides to take over Nancy’s, they will have my blessing.”
Allyson Simcox can be reached at [email protected].
