oh, no. jerre ann's is an institution. i hope the people of this city remember to make a point of patronizing the older, more traditional restaurants and businesses in st joseph. this city is becoming franchise nirvana.......... yuck.

I loved the old Jerry Anne's and ate there often. Then the quality of food took a nose dive as well as the upkeep of the property. My only surprise was that this didn't happen sooner. The real Jerry Anne's has been gone for some time now.

Mr_America isn't your comment just a slap in the face to the current owners who are probably feeling bad anyway. Some things are just better left unsaid.

I think serving their food under the guise of Jerry Anne's was a slap in the face to the customers.

One of Jerre Anne's banana cream pies in the face would be much tastier.

The potato salad was still spectacular!! I wish I had that recipe.

I hope every individual of Saint Joseph, will take a moment and reflect on how the changing environment of the city is systematically chipping away at so much of what has made the community unique.
Once places like Jerre Anne's are lost, they are rarely replaced. Remember this the next time you head to another of the newer chain restaurants that are okay but will never represent the city as this cafeteria has.

I worked at Jerre-Ann's back in the 1960's and it was good and it is still good! Get off the last owners BACK, as they did the best they could. I've eaten there lately and it was good so go pick on someone else.

The food wasn't as good, and the place was not nearly as clean as it use to be. These are hard facts. If any of you people deny this, either you hadn't been to the old Jerry Anne's or you are going blind with a poor sense of smell and the taste buds of a one legged 92 year old chain smoker.

apmastrangelo...if a restaurant has to be certain things to compete in any environment. When you do not have theses things you will not survive, no matter if you are a chain or not.

There are certain things people expect when they go out to eat now, if you do not evolve you will die. It's called business.

I agree it is unfortunate that they had to close but maybe if the formula to survive has changed. There are plenty of non-chain restaurants that flourish in St. Joseph (Boudreaux's, Hi-Ho, D&G, First Ward, and Palmas just to name a few).

biggieroth - Your are correct in relation to competing, however, that is not the issue. Establishments become unique for a variety of reasons. For example, a hole in the wall restaurant called Philippe's in Los Angeles. The place runs as it did over 60 years ago with people having to wait in individual lines along a counter while servers put together each and every sandwich one at a time. It takes twice as long as any other type of place but people flock to it from morning until its late evening closing. Perhaps its the sawdust on the floor or the coffee still sold for pennies but they have an unyielding clientele with dozens of other dining options available nearby.
There are things people should expect when trading with any business. Don't misunderstand me, I go to many different restaurants including the chains. It is just that each is as different as night and day and the experience is equally important.
One last point to make about chain restaurants versus a place like Jerre Anne's. I have had association with the dining industry and there is a distinct difference in their products. I am talking about things like pre-portioned, frozen, partially cooked, then grill heated, versus fresh prepared. Each has its place but as consumers venture out and away they often give up a segment that will never be replaced. Have you ever wondered why when ordering at the Olive Garden, or others, the menu indicates no changes or substitution on the entrees?

So why couldn't Jerre Anne's compete?

biggie, i don't think that apm is saying that jerre anne's shouldn't compete. he is saying that there is an inherent value in supporting establishments which are an irreplaceable part of the fabric of this city. to give you another example of a place which is iconic, in nyc the carnegie deli thrives on what seems like totally rude service, huge sandwiches and a menu which is the most hilarious "read" you ever saw. the wait staff practically throws the food on the table. they make the most fabulous knish you have ever had. it is absolutely mandatory to go there when we visit. i am glad i found jerre ann's before it closed, as i am grateful that we ate at the hoof and horn before the arson. as to mr america, you are being just plain rude...... and what the heck does having one leg to do with anything?

biggieroth - Why, simple, sometimes people just lose focus on the quality of life and things in general. People are becoming ever more pressured by everything we all face each day, so we fall into the pattern of quick, fast, and easy. Some of it is helpful but it comes with a price.
Was Jerre Anne's the pinnacle of eateries, not even close, but how great to pick out what you wanted and not being rushed eating it.

I thought I was being colorfully rude.

The reason people flock to those hole in the wall places you are discussing is because the food is great. like it or not other than a few items, the food just wasn't that great. While I make every effort to go to non-franchise local restaurants, they still have to make good food and make me want to come back. If I was going on a potato salad and pie diet I might have been in the place every day!

mmmm, pie.

I'm 62 years and by no means over the hill. When eating at Jerre-Ann's always had a meal of meat, potatoes, vegetable, salad (not potato salad), pie & drink. Very good food same as when I worked there in the 1960's.

Go around town to other establishments and eat off their floors, double dare you.

There are quite a few places in St. Joe that need a good cleaning, etc., but have very good food and I will patronize them.

Shadow - I have no idea what you ate when visiting Jerre Anne's but other then not caring for something due to personal tastes it was equal to or better than the average.
Try the food at either of a couple Italian restaurants in town if you want a good laugh. Over seasoned to make you think they have a secret recipe with more meat fillers than I care to mention.

folks were standing in line here when OG opened. something about the mystique of being one of the first inside. the homogenized sameness of processed food, yum.

I would take Jerre Ann's over OG any day of the week!! JA' was always home cooked not reheated. I hate to see them close as that is another page of St JOe history down the drain!

Does Olive Garden Suck? Yes. Does that mean Jerre Annes was awesome? No. Their food wasn't bad, and several things there were good, but overall it just wasn't that special. Add to that the fact that they closed at 7:00 and it doesn't suprise me that they didn't get a lot of business. I wish we had more independent restaurants too, but they need to provide good food and quality service.

i think the point is pretty well spelled out in the first line of this article. st jo's oldest restaurant. sad to see traditional restaurants with old fashioned atmosphere and food going by the wayside because today's dining public has such jaded and uneducated taste buds. could the place have used a little face lift? sure. i found the food to be excellent. to compare like menus, ryans ( YUK) vs. JA? hands down, JA.

Shadow - Good to see you recognize that, other than their hours of operation, chain restaurants are not exactly sensational. Would agree that a 7 PM closing is a little early for the dinner hour. Also agree in wanting to see more independents. Going back to initial comments on quality of foods; we can debate all day but for the most part, at the chains you get the production line product whether associated to out of a package for portion control or frozen for volume and distribution. It is just a part of how they have to do business as a franchise.

Never said the chains were great, in fact most of them suck. That doesn't however mean that we should all just go to the same old restaurants just because they are local! There are plenty of good non-chain places in town but they are successful because they have good food and good service, not just because they have been there forever.

I for one hate to see them close! I will miss their breaded tenderloin, mashed potatoes and white gravy...not to mentioned the pies, custards, and the oh-so-good angel food cake with strawberry frosting. The best thing I liked too was that I could take my van full of kids there for home-cooked food for the same price it would cost going through McDonald's drive thru. Home-cooking from scratch versus nuked burgers and processed foods for the same price...easy choice there. Plus to boot, we went in and sat down as a family, took our time, enjoyed visiting and the kids getting to pick their individual (balanced) meals instead of eating fast food in the car as many do these days. I sure hope someone opens it back up!

I dont think it was other restaraunts taking their business. It was Meirerhofffers.

The changes in minimum wage caught up to many a business, that could be part of the problem.

I never ate at Jerre Anne's for one simple reason - my wife and kids went one time and the only comment I heard was that it was expensive - not good this or that - expensive. So I never assumed there was any value in going, so I never went.

Boudreaux's: EXCEPTIONAL, especially the Chicken Fried Chicken with fried and extra gravy, thank you.

Hi-Ho: Fair, probably decent if you're drunk.

D&G: "Dogfood and Garbage" but honestly, I had a wonderful meal there the other day - tenderloin smothered in gravy, it was delicious.

Palmas: I can open a can, come on! La Mesa is far better, heck, Taco Johns is better!

Chipolte Grill - totally awesome.

Rib Crib, while not consistant, is good enough that I keep going back.

Italian - there is no Italian here, nor is there a market for a really good Italian restaurant, this is St. Joe.....

Even someone who only occasionally visits this town realized that there is an Olive Garden here. Last time I checked this was Italian?

outoftowner - There is Italian food and the commercial imitations that, to be polite and politically correct, are dismal imitations.

What did the Meierhoffers have to do with this?

Echo..what are you talking about?

Echo - that cracked me up! Thanks for the laugh!

It's a pretty clear joke about the age of their average customer. At least I thought is was pretty clear.

Yeah....I get it now. Not eneough coffee this morning.