Beloved Gulfport diner will close after 60 years. COVID pandemic ‘really made it hard.’
Palace Grill in Gulfport opened 60 years ago, but there won’t be a celebration for year 61.
The downtown Gulfport diner John and Shirley Parks founded in June 1960, when John F. Kennedy was running for president, will close after the last meals are served on Friday, Feb. 12.
“This pandemic has just really made it hard for the small business to stay open,” said Laura Haulsee, following almost a year now of masks, limited occupancy and people eating at home because of the coronavirus.
She and her sister Kelli Hawkins run the downtown diner opened by their parents.
“I have been here about 35 years,” she said Thursday as she tearfully remembered the years her family had put into the restaurant.
Among the highlights was a visit by former Vice President Mike Pence, Gov. Tate Reeves and U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo on Nov. 4, 2019, before a rally for Reeves’ election. They shook hands and ordered the daily special.
It was a Monday, Haulsee recalls, and meatloaf was the special.
“They got takeout,” she said.
The restaurant serves all-American fare, “as Southern as plate lunches and fried chicken,” according to a 2018 review in the Sun Herald.
“Red checkered tablecloths, a smiling hostess exuding Southern charm and hospitality, and a table of regulars that you can bet sits at the same table every day,” were part of the experience Sun Herald food critic Julian Brunt described.
Palace Grill is known for small prices and big portions of fried chicken, country-fried steak and other family favorites.
They’ve had countless employees, some who stayed for years, she said, and others who left before anyone got to know them.
There is still a glimmer of hope for those who frequent Palace Grill.
Their father bought the building at 1425 25th Ave. and deeded it to his daughters. They aren’t sure what they will do with it yet.
“Maybe things will get better,” she said.
Maybe they will hang on to the building, she said, and after they give it a little rest, perhaps Palace Grill could make a comeback.
This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 5:50 AM.
