Elder's and tradition

SAD TO HEAR Elder's at 18th and State is closing. It's a Quincy restaurant staple. The owners say the building has issues and they are temporarily closed. Employees are saying the closure is permanent. It must be true. It's on the internet, right?

The big loss isn't that we can't get Elder's fried chicken anymore. The big loss is that Elder's is a Quincy tradition. A gazillion Quincyans have gone there simply because it's, well, Elder's. The servers were nice and the food decent and the prices reasonable, and people felt comfortable. There are lots of places like this in Quincy and it's part of the small-town river town charm.

Quincy isn't dying. This isn't the end of the world. We might just make it through the next few days, weeks, months, maybe even years, without Elder's.

Why not relocate? Well, Elder's is Elder's because it's at 18th and State, and it's been there a million years. If you move it, and moving isn't cheap endeavor, there's no guarantee it will work. And there are lots of great choices for restaurants in town, and thank god we aren't talking about Olive Gardens or Red Lobsters.

A restaurant is as much about atmosphere and comfort level as it is about food, service and price. And you really don't need a reason to like a place if you, well, just like it. I'm sure there were tons of local connections and friendships involved with Quincy's love affair with Elder's.

A piece of Quincy goes with Elder's closing, and it's a sad day, indeed.