The Rustic Restaurant in Rocky River is Closing After 75 Years

After a remarkable 75-year run, The Rustic Restaurant (20780 Center Ridge Rd., 440-333-2422) will be closing its doors for good. The family friendly eatery was started in 1947 by Tony Riegelsberger, who disassembled a log cabin in Michigan, put it back together in Rocky River, and opened the Rustic Drive-In. Over the many years, the restaurant has always been run by members of the Riegelsberger family, most currently Tony’s grandson Kurt.

Kurt attributes the closing to a number of factors that include the difficulty of running a restaurant these days along with a desire to retire.

“It’s really hard and difficult,” says Kurt. “A lot of people have been here forever, the customers who have been coming here forever… Many employees and families have been coming here since before high school.”

Kurt says that people still have time to come and pay their respects. While no exact date has been announced, the closure likely will occur in the next three to nine months.

“We would love to have people still come in to enjoy it while we’re still here,” adds Kurt. “We’re not going anywhere tomorrow or next week.”

The family is selling the property to Chase Bank, which likely will raze the old cabin.