Friday, August 26th, 2022
Good Day, Sunshine
Sunnyside Inn to close Sunday after 40 years
By Erin Gardner
Photo by Aaron Snyder/The Daily Standard
Patrons crowd Sunnyside Inn restaurant on Thursday evening. The restaurant's owners are retiring. Sunnyside will close this Sunday.
CELINA-A mainstay restaurant in Celina will shut its doors Sunday evening.
Donna and Terry Temple have owned and operated Sunnyside Inn for the past 40 years, having bought it on July 3, 1982, from Tom and Lou Fenner, Donna Temple said.
Temple said she and her husband are calling it a day for the restaurant because they want to retire.
"My husband is 70 years old and I'm 63. It's just time," Temple said.
Retirement for the Temple household will involve relaxing on the boat and getting a tan.
Photo by Leslie Gartrell/The Daily Standard
Owners Terry and Donna Temple will retire after Sunnyside Inn closes its doors Sunday.
On Aug. 19, Donna posted the announcement on Facebook.
"I can't tell you how (tough) of a decision this was, but it's just time for us to retire and enjoy life. I want to (thank) everyone who supported us through the years," Temple wrote.
As far as the building, Temple said several people have expressed interest in taking it over, but there haven't been any solid leads.
The restaurant's name is intentional, she said.
"I was 22 when I took the place over, so if I ever had a child, I was going to name it Sonny," Temple said. "My mom said, 'Why don't you call it Sunnyside?'"
Over the past 40 years, the menu has consistently stayed the same with crowd favorites including authentic turtle soup, homemade pies and tenderloins.
Photo by Leslie Gartrell/The Daily Standard
A tenderloin sandwich nearly as big as a catcher's mitt. With all the fixin's. Owners Terry and Donna Temple will retire after Sunnyside Inn closes its doors Sunday.
Just like any other restaurant, Sunnyside Inn has seen its share of challenges. However, Temple lauded the restaurant's 22 employees who helped keep the place afloat for so long.
She called her workers "the greatest ever."
Likewise, customers have been supportive and understanding, Temple said.
"We've had a lot of people wishing us a farewell. They understand where we're coming from because we owned the business for 40 years. Everybody's really happy for us because we worked so long," she said.
For Temple, she said she served "our people the best we can. I loved what I did. I enjoy the restaurant. I don't even know how to express how many people came into this restaurant. Sometimes my sister said (it feels like we) served the whole Mercer County."
Although ready to retire, Temple said the decision is bittersweet.
"That's the thing, we want to retire, but I do walk through the crowd and I see people and I feel bad because I know that they're going to have to go somewhere else," Temple said.
Photo by Leslie Gartrell/The Daily Standard
Owners Terry and Donna Temple will retire after Sunnyside Inn closes its doors Sunday.
