Pete Williams has been the manager of Old Barn Restaurant & Grill since 2004.
Cade Higgins | The Lima News
LIMA — Pete Williams is stepping back from daily operations and slowly taking his foot off the gas pedal.
The Old Barn Restaurant & Grill, formerly known as Old Barn Out Back, is on the market. Located at 3175 W. Elm St, Lima, the restaurant has served the community since 1979.
Williams was in the eighth grade when the restaurant opened and formally took over as owner in 2004.
“It’s not like we’re just closing our doors,” Williams said.
In June 2020, more than half a million dollars was invested in renovations for the restaurant, which included a new look, menu and theme designed to connect with multiple generations of customers under the tagline: Same family, next generation.
“We transformed it from a 1980s restaurant into a 2020 restaurant. We completely revamped it,” Williams said.
At that time, Williams, his wife and his four kids were ready for the restaurant’s future.
Four years later, things are different.
“I don’t have my kids here anymore,” he said about his children, who are all in college away from the area.
Amidst the uncertainty, Williams is not looking to drop everything and leave. He stressed the unpredictability of when he would move on and where he would go and insisted that he would not give up on the community.
“As of now, we are moving full-steam forward, and I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I’m going to be here for three, four, five more years, whatever it takes.”
The after-effects of the pandemic significantly played a role in the fluctuating success of the restaurant.
“I have some really good months, and then I have bad months. My catering will be up at times and then it goes down,” he said.
He added, “I don’t have any help in terms of managers or main people in terms of taking this place over. If you had the right people, this place could rock.”
Williams stated that if someone approached him to buy the building, he would play an active role in ensuring the transition is as smooth as possible.
The Williams family has been connected to the Lima community with the restaurant for more than 45 years and fully supports Pete’s decision.
“My dad is 87 years old, and he is totally behind me. All of my sisters are behind me. My cousins are behind me. This has been rewarding and was awesome for me and my family growing up,” he said.
Williams said there are currently 45 total employees, 20 full-time employees and 25 part-time and seasonal.
Williams expects to have 2,000 people at the restaurant for Thanksgiving this year.
Reach Cade Higgins at 567-242-0351
