Historic Prospect Restaurant To Close

PROSPECT, CT — Community cornerstone Prospect Dairy Bar has announced it will close after more than six decades in the business, FOX 61 reported. Owner Carol Jones said that after 36 years in ownership of the business, things have become more challenging recently.

She told FOX 61, “It’s just really difficult to make a good living right now because there is so much competition and the state doesn’t make it too easy with all the taxes and all the changes so it was time."

News that the Prospect Dairy Bar is closing at least partly due to increased costs appears to be an emerging theme in Connecticut with some prominent businesses. Last week, Golden Corral and ShopRite both said that the high cost of doing business in Connecticut led them to announce closures.

Golden Corral closed its only Connecticut location in Milford on Sept. 30 and ShopRite announced plans to close its West Hartford location later this year.

Golden Corral owners said the buffet faced an uphill battle for profit from the start due to the price of doing business in Connecticut, according to a spokesman for the franchise owner. Spokesman Michele Zommer said Golden Corral had some doubts from the start about success of the Milford location, according to the New Haven Register.

ShopRite owners said "After nearly a decade of serving the West Hartford community, ShopRite has decided it will close its doors. In spite of our competitive pricing, large assortment of foods and products, and excellent service provided by our dedicated associates, we have struggled to make the store profitable. A challenging business climate impacted by rising costs, regulations and the new minimum wage increase led to the difficult decision to close our doors on Nov. 26."

See related: More Details On Why Golden Corral Closed In Milford

Imminent Closure Announced For West Hartford ShopRite Store

As for the Prospect Dairy Bar, the restaurant has been compared to a time-warp to the 1950s, back when the Prospect was quintessential small town America with fewer than 2000 residents. Now Prospect has more than 9,000 people.

The Dairy Bar's owners are known for greeting regular customers by name. "We've seen people who came in when they were kids and now they have kids," Jones told Citizen's News.

The eatery was opened in 1953 by Olive and Vincent Visockis, who were also owners of a Route 69 dairy farm. The Joneses moved to Prospect in 1971 and took over the Dairy Bar in 1984.

The ice cream bar features classic Coca-Cola ads and photographs of vintage cars. It also includes a painting from local artist Edi Harrison, depicting what the town looked like in the 1950s, according to Citizen's News.

Trip Advisor reviewers call the restaurant a "fun neighborhood place" and a "fun nostalgic diner."

"This is a popular place in our small town but with great taste!" said one reviewer. "From breakfast to burgers to ice cream and old fashioned shakes! A great family place to dine."

You do still have an opportunity to visit the restaurant: Prospect Dairy Bar will be open until Nov. 27.

Though the Dairy Bar is leaving, the building will remain intact. Jones' son has purchased the building and plans to turn it into a new restaurant.

>>>Read More at Fox 61.