2026. 50 years since opening in 1976.
It seems crazy to say that. That's over 10 years before I was even a thought.
Fifty years of the doors opening and closing.
Fifty years of coffee being poured, plates being passed, and ice cream being scooped.
Fifty years of people walking in strangers and leaving feeling like family and long-time friends.
I'm sure when my grandfather first opened his restaurant, that he didn't imagine all the things this building would hold: celebrations, hard conversations, first jobs, last meals, first dates, and after-church traditions. Early mornings and late nights. Tears in the kitchen and laughter in the dining room.
A whole lot of prayer!
Being a third-generation restaurant isn't just something we say and take lightly - it's something we try to carry. We carry the faith it took to start this place and the hard work it took to keep it going through some hard times.
Some days that feels like joy, and some days it feels very heavy. Almost every day it feels like both.
Ask anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant, especially a busy one... they aren't easy. There are days when the tickets won't stop printing, the dishwasher goes down mid-rush, someone calls off, customers aren't as pleasant as we'd like, and you're running on fumes. And yet we're still here, serving our community. I absolutely believe God's hand has been on Clair's since the very beginning. Not because it's been perfect - nothing ever is - but because we've never done it alone.
This place has been shaped just as much by our employees, both the one-summer workers and the ones who have been around since I was born, as it has been by my family. Everyone has brought a little something whether it be laughs, chaos, scratch-your-head moments, or stories that we will tell for years to come. And then there's you, our customers. Our regulars. Our neighbors. The families who've grown up here and bring their children here for ice cream. You've trusted us with your time, your celebrations, and to feed your families. And that means more than I can ever put into words.
Fifty years later, Clair's is still a place to gather, to eat good food, and to feel cared about. This year, I'm filled with gratitude... for the past, the present, and for whatever God has planned for us next. I will never take that for granted.
So here's to 50 years! And to the next chapter, whatever it may be!
-Amber