HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - "Dont make me cry, if you cry I will cry," says one customer.
It's hard to imagine anyone crying over crispy fried chicken. "It's gonna be greatly missed ," says Willa King.
But when you have been serving up these heavenly home cooked goods since 1954, you become a little attached to the chicken coup.
"Soon as I got off work I wanted to make sure I was coming here to get my last chicken livers," said Willa King.
Loyal Pollard's fans trickled into the Portsmouth location Friday.
"Can I get an order of chicken livers, and a chicken dinner and do you all have coconut cake today," said one customer.
It's the last day to feast on these favorites.
"COVID as taken its toll on us so we are gonna close two restaurants and transfer as many that wanna transfer and try to make it easier for everyone working for us," said Operations Manager, Mary Gagnon.
Gagnon, who's been with the company a whopping 30 years says they'll lock up two locations this week --this one and one of their Virginia Beach locations on Buckner Road. COVID and a dwindling workforce is no longer sustainable.
"We can't get enough staff in" said Gagnon, adding many flew the coup during the pandemic in search of higher wages.
"The restaurant business was hit hard, people that used to work, they are leaving our industry its not just Pollard's every restaurant dealing with same thing."
It's not goodbye to this five decade old favorite, just maybe a further drive for some to satisfy those taste buds.
"Keep coming out and supporting Pollard's, we are here to serve you," said Gagnon.
For a list of the locations Pollard's has open click here.
