KAYSVILLE, Utah — There are few places as iconic in Kaysville as Annie's Diner, affectionately called Granny Annie's. But the beloved restaurant will shut its doors for the final time this week.
Known for their scones, a Utah staple, the diner has served up community camaraderie and filled bellies since 2003.
"This was never meant to be a money maker, it's a labor of love," said owner Jason Sanders. "I did it for the community, I did it for my friends, I did it for the staff, I did it for my family."
Sanders, an attorney, said behind the scenes, the restaurant lost money every year since he bought it more than three years ago.
"It's really a function of food costs being high and labor costs are really high," he explained.
FOX 13's content-sharing partners at the Salt Lake Tribune reported the restaurant lost more than $93,000 last year alone.
About three months ago, Sanders decided it was time to say goodbye, selling the property to a developer.
"It sucks. It sucks to say, oh we didn't make it," he reflected. "But I can only lose money for so long."
Sanders has a deep-rooted love for the diner and said the restaurant is filled with years of memories.
"I'm going to cry," he said emotionally. "My in-laws came here sometimes twice a day, and when we lived out of the state we would come here all the time."
When Granny Annie herself decided to sell the diner, Sanders stepped in, buying it when nobody else wanted it.
"I was literally sitting here right here in this booth probably 12 years ago and I was like, what's going to happen to this place when Annie can't do this anymore," he remembered. "I'm an attorney, I could probably buy this place."
Even though the diner will close, the memories will live on for Sanders and others in the community.
"Another awesome guy that comes in almost every day...he came with his wife every day, drove down from Hooper," Sanders remembered. "It's like a 25-minute drive. His wife passed away...took him a couple days to get back. He came in the next day and he sat in the booth and just cried, because it's his wife's favorite place."
For servers and other staff like Riley, the closure is "heartbreaking."
Riley worked at the diner for more than 7 years and described Annie's as "a piece of home."
"It means, family, home, oh I'm going to cry," she said emotionally. "It's a lot of loyalty."
Riley said she will always cherish the connections she's made with her community.
"Just the connections that I've been able to make with my coworkers and my customers - they've turned into family," she reflected. "All my customers came to my wedding, they're some of my favorite people - they're all family."
Now, Riley and others are finishing out their last week at the diner and turning the page on a new chapter.
"It's exciting but it's scary," she said. "Change is hard and this has been my home for the last 7 years so it's hard to know what to do next or where to go to."
Annie's will stay open until June 1, as long as staff and servers also stick around. Sanders said if the staff leaves for new opportunities before June 1, the diner will close early.
"We're just going to miss this place, we're going to miss our neighbors and friends and I'm going to miss my staff who are awesome," Sanders said. "And I'm going to miss my eggs benedict every morning."
