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Hickory House closes
POSTED: February 3, 2010
The Hickory House restaurant, 3022 Fifth Ave. S., has closed.
Handwritten signs taped to the building's doors state ''Hickory House is closed.''
Restaurant owners Scott and Janet Sheldon didn't return phone calls seeking comment on the closure Tuesday. Telephone calls to the restaurant were answered only with a continuous busy signal.
Members of the Fort Dodge Civitan Club and the Noon Sertoma Club, which used to meet at the Hickory House, were told Sunday that they would have to find new gathering places.
''It was kind of a shocker to us,'' said Civitan President Roger Leo.
Last September, the restaurant was damaged by fires set in three locations. The business was closed for less than a week after the fires.
Hickory House opened in 1977. The Sheldons bought it in 2004. The restaurant, known for its ribs and barbecued meats, employed about 30 people.
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View Comments: | 1-16 | Post a comment
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NamVet
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02-03-10 10:03 PM
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Blame it on Obama?? Get real!!! I also ate there over a year ago and the place , in my opinion, was not good. I have been eating in restaurants for 50 years and the food was not very good. That's is not bashing anyone.....as others have stated , the quality was inferior. Bailing out individual restaurants is an idiotic notion. This closing has nothing to do with politics. Wake up!
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Tish1617
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02-03-10 9:20 PM
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The food was terrible 2 yrs ago and the service was even worse. I asked for onion or something cooked with my hashbrowns and the "simpeton" responded she would "try" but the cook was in a bad mood today. Excuse the f out of me?!!! It wasn't quality at all, the place smelled. Not sure why I really don't feel bad for them as a provider of paying customer service ;) My grandma and the other retirees can meet elsewhere. Curious on who the many will blame this on besides the obvious. People need to be responsible for the actions/service I mean!
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controlpetpopulationspayandneuter
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02-03-10 8:21 PM
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I ate there only one time and that was the Thanksgiving buffet...and it was horrible, I have nothing against any of them since I dont know them personally, I am going on my experience that time and I never went back again.
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angelickitty1981
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02-03-10 3:28 PM
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I really liked the Hickory House ever since I started eating there and I think that it should reopen as I would even work there if I were hired! I don't like seeing businesses close just because of a bad time as there are better times ahead! I really am glad Obama is the President as he has been doing a lot to help the USA as it wasn't his fault he had to help with the economy. So give him a break it does take a lot of research to find out what needs to be done to help small businesses!
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ireadthepaper
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02-03-10 1:11 PM
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I was planning on taking the family there last Sunday for breakfast as we usually do once or twice a month. But we decided to wait till next weekend. Guess we should have just gone! The food was great, at least great for what you would expect from a buffet. My family will miss the place.
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quitcomplaining
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02-03-10 11:08 AM
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You people amaze me. All you do is bash people when they're down. The new owners are great people. They put their heart and sole into running that restaurant - not to mention all their money! Did they run it the way Steph did? No, they souldn't have. They are not Steph. I was in that restaurant every week. It was ALWAYS clean. In fact, there was not a time I was in there that the waitresses or the owners were not cleaning if they were not waiting on customers. The food was always good when I ate there. And their catering was fantastic and very fair priced. If you had a problem with food or service why didn't you tell them at the time rather than say it now????? Grow up and quit complaining!
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IowaTransplant
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02-03-10 11:07 AM
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I don't see where Obama has ANYTHING to do with the fact that it seems very apparent that this small business was run by owners who should never have owned a small business in the first place. Yet another FD business "bites the dust" -- seems to be a never-ending outcome in an ever-struggling community. Seems to prove that if you want to realize your American dream of owning a business, don't try doing so in FD, IA.
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mythoughts
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02-03-10 10:52 AM
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The Pipers were amazing in the way they ran the business, and the new owners were hoping to expand on the Pipers' reputation. That just wasn't possible with the way they chose to run their establishment.
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FDPOTHOLELOVER
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02-03-10 10:32 AM
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The food was very bad the last few months and so was the catering. I could see this coming, no loss.
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Frankiethesax
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02-03-10 10:24 AM
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The food was teribble the past few years. They only cared about their catering business. They let the rest go down hill and you now see the result of that.
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opinion8ed
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02-03-10 10:23 AM
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This can not be a surprise to the people of Fort Dodge. Since owner Steph Piper passed away, Hickory House just wasn't the same. Steph ran a tight ship and it showed. The new owners jacked up the prices and lowered the quality. It's a shame people try to fix what isn't broke...then break it.
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mythoughts
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02-03-10 9:03 AM
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I ate breakfast there a couple of weeks ago, and the food was horrible. The service was good, but that can't make up for bad food. Still, sad to see any place close during these tough times.
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ckelly
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02-03-10 8:53 AM
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I ate there one time and thought the place was dirty inside.
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extrucker
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02-03-10 8:53 AM
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I dont know about you guys but have you eaten there lately. the food has gone down hill and I think that is part of the reason. Just becasue it has been around so long is not a reason it should stay around, if the service and food is not good, then you will not make it, nor should you.
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threenotsoblindmice
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02-03-10 7:04 AM
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I've heard that some other small FD businesses are also struggling & in danger of closing. Dream on, bigmac1. B.O. & his thug cronies will never bail out a small family business run by good, honest hard working people. Considering how he got into office, we'll be lucky if we can get him out in the next election. mouse #3
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bigmac1
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02-03-10 12:19 AM
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Hey, President Obama...congress...how about a bailout for the Hickory House? Sad day when one of the staples of our business sector closes.
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