Four Corners Restaurant closing in Ainsworth

After 56 years of business, Ainsworth Four Corners Restaurant and Fuel Stop is getting ready to serve up its last slice of pie.

'The business hasn't been doing well for quite a while,' said Diane Anding, the owner and operator. 'We've maintained and stayed busy. But it costs more these days. It costs more to pay a waitress, to buy food, to have a building.'

Anding's parents started the family-owned establishment in 1959. She took over in 1993 and now runs it with her brother, Gary.

'We were always really busy,' she said of the restaurant. 'But we didn't know what busy was until we moved to our new location' in 2000.

In the 15 years since, Anding said, Four Corners has served countless customers. 'But because of the area we're in, a lot of our clientele are seniors who have passed away or gone to live in a nursing home,' she said.

Over the years, Anding and her son, Mike — general manager and the restaurant's head cook — said customer preferences have changed.

'People want something quick,' Mike Anding said. 'They want to go to a drive-thru or get some hot food from the convenience store.'

Diane Anding is in talks to sell the business to Casey's General Stores, which is in the midst of the due dillegence process. Casey's officials said the transaction could close later this fall.

The change in ownership will take place in September, and Anding still is figuring out the details for closing day.

'I'm thinking cinnamon rolls and coffee,' she said, adding she doesn't think her nerves will be up for making her homemade pies that week.

Deciding to sell was difficult and emotional, she said. She's worked at Four Corners since 1984. Her sons and grandchildren work there, too.

'It's the end of an era,' she said.