Azura announces it will close Oct. 15; still for sale
Azura Café and Grill owners Nick and Angela Hostetter announced the 18-year-old business will be closing on October 15.
We have been operating short-handed for quite some time and have found it extremely challenging to find qualified individuals to fill our open positions. We have tried to cut our hours and limit our menu options to effectively stretch our staff. Our loyal employees have been working hard to cover the shortages through overtime and added responsibilities, but it’s not a long-term solution. We value our employees and will not continue to ask so much from them. Our intention is to help place them in similar positions at other local restaurants or help support their efforts to find new employment opportunities.
Over the years, we have come to know many of you very well, and you have become more than just customers, you are our friends. You have been the best part of this business since day one. We will miss you!
If you have gift cards, please come use them. We will honor your cards right up to the last day, but after that they will have no more value.
The business is still for sale. We have lowed the asking price to $100,000 to encourage one of you to accept the challenge. We hope that someone will continue to provide the only scratch made bagel in the area and serve the area’s best breakfast. We’d be happy to help train you and we’d probably be some of your best customers.
If you’re interested in becoming the next owner of Azura Café, please reach out to Steve Lukemeyer at at 812-639-6340
AZURA CAFÉ AND GRILL FACEBOOK PAGE
In a separate post, Mrs. Hostetter stated that supply chain issues and competition for staff from national chains moving into the area have made it nearly impossible to operate the business.
“Small businesses are the backbone of a community,” she wrote. “We live here too, we love this place enough to invest our future here. We have kids in the same school, on the same teams. We go to your churches and community groups. Without the little guys, a city loses its heart. Please keep this in mind as the large corporations move in and start to root us out.”
The business was announced for sale in June. In Tuesday’s announcement, the price was listed at $100,000.
I sure am sorry to hear this. I have always enjoyed your bagels.
Their other restaurant, Hosty’s, across the street, is also closing. Just a month ago they were looking to hire cooks, dishwasher etc at $10/hr. Given the current economy and inflation, no one can survive on such a low wage, plus the fact that most fast food restaurants in the area are paying $13-15/hr, it’s not at all surprising there were no “qualified” applicants. I’ll certainly miss Hosty’s pizza as it truly was the best in town.