Lamenting the closing of Reno’s Roadhouse

Letters

October 16, 2009

letters to the editor

Anonymous The Commonwealth Journal Fri Oct 16, 2009, 11:32 AM EDT

Dear Editor:

I would like to respond to the closing of Reno’s. This letter may be published. I would really like for it to be.

My sister and her family live in Burnside and I have visited them often. We would spend the day on the lake with our families or visit local shops. Every time we would decide to have a great meal that was more than fair priced, we would go to Reno’s. The food was always great, the service good, and the atmosphere was a lot better than what you get at other restaurants that are owned by large companies with chains. Reno’s felt like a place for locals to gather and that gave it a homey feel while we were there.

Many times I had the owner, Eric Fitzer, visit our table to make sure that everything was satisfactory and I have even seen him remove meals from the check when the customer was dissatisfied. From what I could tell and what I heard from the people around us when we had dinner there, he really made an effort to make sure his customers got what they came for. He would sit down with customers, I’m sure as he made regular acquaintances with people, and make them feel like family.

I did a little research before writing this letter and saw that Mr. Fitzer supported his community by donating money for causes, sports events, and even a baseball team for little kids. I have never seen Applebee’s or Ruby Tuesdays do anything like that for the community that they operate in.

When I would begin my drive down 27, I would start noticing religious signs becoming more plentiful the closer I got to Somerset. I also found during my research that the city of Burnside had an election to try to make the town dry again after Reno’s moved in and that the election was religiously based. What people fail to understand is that Reno’s did nothing that another owner who is trying to make a living for his or her family or bring economy into the area would do.

A restaurant serving alcohol does not make a man an alcoholic. If he is an alcoholic, he is going to go wherever he has to go to get it. Gluttony is the sin, not the sale of alcohol. People want to blame the bottle instead of the one that picks it up and chooses to take the drink. It’s a nice way to keep from having to hold someone accountable for their action when you can put it off on someone else. I personally do not drink but I do not judge others that do. That is up to God to take care of, not me or anyone else.

I think the community has lost a wonderful restaurant. I also think they have lost a citizen that owned a business that tried to put back into the community but was slapped in the face at every turn.

I am sure Mr. Fitzer will move his family, kindness, ability to provide jobs for the uneducated out of Burnside. I know that I would as fast as I could. I hope that when he is gone that Burnside and Somerset will look back and see the mistake they made. But alas, those that point fingers and condemn others can’t see past the ends of their noses.

I wish Mr. Fitzer and his family the best of luck.

Sincerely,

Jane Crews

Burnside, Ky.

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