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C-Town Wings, located at 1903 Havemann Road, will close on October 21.
CELINA - For business owners Julia and Kerry Roberts, this isn't a goodbye - it's a see you later.
C-Town Wings, a mainstay restaurant in Celina, will close Oct. 21, Julia said.
"As you know, help is very hard to find and we juggle a lot here. It's a big business. It's just a lot. We're getting to the age where we've worked weekends for 30 years and we're just looking to the future," she said.
The restaurant at 1903 Havemann Road will remain open through Oct. 21, provided it still has the staff and menu items available. The couple will lease the building to La Carreta Mexican Grill and Cantina, which plans to open its second Celina location there, according to La Carreta owner Rafael Delgado Jr.
It would mark La Carreta's fourth restaurant in the state, he said in a text message to The Daily Standard.
The Mexican restaurant has a location at 308 E. Market St. and will open its second Celina site most likely after the first of the year, he said.
La Carreta Mexican Grill and Cantina, located at 308 East Market Street in Celina, will open its second Celina location in the current C-Town Wings building.
Julia said the decision to close the doors was not an easy one and came from a place of bittersweet anticipation and gratitude.
"My husband has been wanting to get out for some time," she said. "He works seven days a week and I work six. We've had the place for sale for about three years. He's been telling me all that time that we need to take a step back and sell and start enjoying a little more of our time. I have been kind of fighting him because this is what I do. We built it from the ground up; it's very special and it's very sentimental to me and of course to him, too, but he looks at the quality of life a little more than maybe what I do. It was definitely not easy."
The couple opened the restaurant on Main Street in Celina in July 2011. On April 18, 2017, it moved to Havemann Road to accommodate higher demand.
C-Town's signature wings.
"I got to work with my husband, and all of my kids (and grandkids) have worked here, which is really special," she said of the last 12 years. "We've had so many amazing employees. I always say that our sweet heat sauce is the sauce that built C-Town, but in all actuality, it's the people (who) have built C-Town. Our customers are just … I've met so many people (who I) would have never met otherwise and now I consider them good friends."
The mouthwatering wing sauce is a crowd favorite.
Julia said they make their 13 sauces in-house from their personal recipes. Because La Carreta did not purchase the rights to C-Town, Julia said she is taking her recipes with her. The good news is the public can purchase and stock up on the sauces until Oct. 21.
Julia said if the restaurant becomes short-staffed during its final weeks, it will possibly adjust its menu items or hours.
"Other than that, it's in God's hands," she said.
Although it was a tough decision to make, Julia said she is excited, albeit nervous, about the future. She looks forward to some much-needed rest and relaxation.
Brittany Thitoff, Montezuma, delivers a tray of delicious food to customers at C-Town Wings in Celina on Wednesday evening.
Jessica McCallum, Celina, and Brittany Thitoff, Montezuma, fill up cups with water at C-Town Wings on Wednesday evening.
"If anybody needs help somewhere, we've got a lot of fabulous employees who are going to be looking in about two months," she said. "I'm probably going to take a month or two off and maybe spend some time (with family). Maybe around the first of the year, I'll start looking for employment. I don't really have any plans yet."
Her husband owns Rino Auto Sales in Celina and will continue his role there.
The name C-Town, Julia said, was a happy accident. Prior to opening, the business held a naming contest and nothing sounded right. When she and her husband were talking, "C-Town" popped up and just stuck.
"C-Town is Celina," she said.
A wide selection of tasty foods welcomes guests at the C-Town buffet.
