Despite Restaurant Closure Concerns, Milton’s in Crystal To Remain Open Through November
A longtime family-owned Crystal restaurant is here to stay — for now.
Milton’s Vittles, Vino and Beer, located on Douglas Avenue, shared its plan to remain open through the end of November.
Earlier this fall, the restaurant shared in a post that it planned to close on Oct. 31. The restaurant’s owner, Francine Weber, cited rising operation costs, equipment breakdowns and the limitations of being a 50-seat restaurant.
Quickly, the community jumped into action. Erica Garcia-Jones, a regular customer and friend of the owners, organized an $150,000 fundraiser on Givebutter to keep the beloved restaurant afloat. The owners originally set a deadline of meeting that goal on Oct. 10– or the Oct. 31 closure would be necessary. As of Oct. 13, just over $22,000 was raised.
However, Milton’s latest update on Friday was optimistic. Weber posted on Facebook: “It’s safe to say we are good until the end of November!”
Weber wrote that while the fundraiser has not reached the goal, “it will be an important buffer for slow periods which normally involve weather, seasonal events, and anything else that can disrupt business. Our focus now is to grow that buffer and build stability through creative ways to bring in revenue– not just through donations.”
The owner shared a few possible plans to sustain the business, including lunch deliveries, catering, Sunday breakfasts and opening to the community on Tuesdays. All of those ideas are in progress, said Weber.
“The reality is if everything were already in place, we wouldn’t be in this position – ugh!,” said Weber in a Facebook post.
