Hillside Restaurant in DeKalb to close after nearly 70 years: ‘It’s quite humbling’

DeKALB – It’s almost the end of an era this week for one downtown DeKalb staple known for its American food and 70-year legacy serving area patrons.

Hillside Restaurant, 121 N. Second St. near the Egyptian Theatre downtown, is closing for good.

Gavin and Mary Wilson originally took ownership of the restaurant in 1989, but the establishment has been serving the community since 1955.

Gavin Wilson said the reason that the restaurant is closing is simple.

“We’re just retiring from the restaurant business because we’ve been doing it for so long,” Gavin Wilson said.

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The Hillside Restaurant owner Gavin Wilson (right) talks to regulars Vincent Boone and Vicki Erwin, of DeKalb, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, at eatery in DeKalb. Hillside will soon be closing its doors after 68 years in business. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com)

The owners said the closure is carefully planned and the last day for the restaurant will be Saturday.

Mary Wilson said she hopes Hillside Restaurant will be remembered as a place where community members, families and patrons “had a great experience.”

DeKalb resident Vicki Erwin said she and Vincent Boone, also of DeKalb, frequent the restaurant for lunch regularly. Erwin and Boone enjoyed a meal at the Hillside recently and reminisced about their time.

“The office is a block away, so it’s really handy,” Erwin said. “We like Mary and Gavin a lot. They’re very personable.”

Erwin and Boone said they both tend to order their food at the restaurant based on what kind of mood they’re in.

Boone said he was pleased to hear that the owners of Hillside Restaurant have decided to embark on their retirement journey.

“I was glad to see it because [Mary Wilson] was ready for it,” Boone said. “She was looking forward to it. I was surprised but not totally.”

“It’s quite humbling to see how many people were aware and how much it meant to them. It’s nice that we had the chance to do it this way and be able to see people a couple weeks before we close.”

—  Gavin Wilson, Hillside Restaurant co-owner

Erwin said that hearing that Hillside Restaurant will no longer be hurts on a personal level for her.

“It’s a different feeling for me,” Erwin said. “My rehearsal dinner for my wedding was here. Other family dinners were here.”

The restaurant owners announced their closure in a Facebook post Feb. 19. The post gave homage to what that owners said was more than 2 million home-cooked meals served and thousands of patrons over the years, from college students to movie and rock stars.

The announcement highlighted menu favorites, such as Crab with Pita Chips, Butternut Bisque, Chocolate Cake, Rhubarb Pie, Chicken Alfredo with Schnitzel.

“Our time to retire from the restaurant business has come, as we leave with a full plate of happy memories,” the post reads.

DeKalb resident Pam Coppel was enjoying lunch at Hillside Restaurant with her neighbor. Coppel said she believes many people will be making a trip to the restaurant in its final days just as she did.

“This is only my second time here,” Coppel said. “Because it’s closing, I wanted to come. But my daughter loves their blueberry pie. So, [I] ordered that. … It’s a very nice place. The ambience is very nice. I hope someone can come in and keep this going whatever the food is because it is a nice location next to the theatre.”

Gavin Wilson said he plans to leave the kitchen fully equipped for the next business that occupies the restaurant to consider putting to use.

“There will be somebody else taking it another direction,” Gavin Wilson said. “We’ll let them announce when their time has come. It’ll be a different restaurant with an entirely different menu.”

Mary Wilson said she’s been overwhelmed by the community’s response to hearing that Hillside Restaurant is closing.

“It was a landslide of people calling, crying, running to the restaurant,” Mary Wilson said.

Gavin Wilson agreed.

“They let us know that they were going to miss us,” Gavin Wilson said. “We knew that was going to happen. It’s just that we have no family to pass this onto. I mean, we have a family but they’re doing their own thing. So, it’s quite humbling to see how many people were aware and how much it meant to them. It’s nice that we had the chance to do it this way and be able to see people a couple weeks before we close.”

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the final day of operation for Hillside Restaurant. The restaurant’s final day is Saturday, March 4.