Callahan's Restaurant serves its final meals after 42 years

Despite the closing announcement, the atmosphere inside Callahan's Tuesday was more celebration than sadness.

The sounds and sights of the final days at Callahan's restaurant. The Elkhart staple has been up for sale for about two years, announcing their closing day on social media.

"Callahan's has become like a home to myself and a lot of us, it's kind of like a routine, a home away from home," said manager Karla Alvarez.

Alvarez has worked here nearly 30 years.

"A lot of the customers, they're here every day, clockwise, breakfast lunch and dinner. I'm just going to miss all the regulars, and working for the owner, they're really good people to work for," said Alvarez.

For many people, their job is somewhere they go five days a week. Clock in, do your job, clock out, and go home. Alvarez says that couldn't be further from the case here.

"Probably 10 of us have been here 20 years or more, and it becomes like a family, and we help each other at work and out of work. I've met a lot of good people here, customers and workers," said Alvarez.

There's no shortage of regular customers here. Lennel Smith has been dining since the beginning, 40 plus years.

"I think most people that come in here on a regular basis think of this as home. It's a place to go where it's kind of like the old tv series Cheers. Last night, I was setting up and I got a call from Phoenix Arizona, a guy wanting to know what i was going to do next, since Callahan's is closing, and I said well, we'll find someplace, but there's no other place around that's like Callahan's," said Smith.

When the doors close permanently in a couple of Sundays, it will be a great loss for the regulars, staff, and the community.

"There's not a time that I remember this place not being a part of my life," said Jackie Holloway, customer of more than 40 years.

Jackie Holloway came here as a kid, then brought her kids, and then brought her kid's kids; putting a bow on what truly became a family affair.

"It's always been welcoming, it's family-oriented, it's just a nice place to be, everyone is happy and joyful. We have the same server all the time, it's regular faces you see, so it feels like a safe place," said Holloway.

ABC57 asked several customers what their favorite thing to order is here at the restaurant. One person responded by saying "the omelets are to die for. I hope it's the last thing I eat."