The owner of the Crossroads Restaurant property confirmed that the long-time gathering place will not reopen under its previous operator.
Ann Riley issued a statement after DelawareOnline reported the restaurant had been listed for sale and was later taken off the market.
Her statement is as follows:
I’m the President of Millcreek Shopping Center LLC and our company has owned the Crossroads Restaurant parcel since 1959. Due to state orders for social distancing and reduced capacity, Crossroads business owner Lee Doyle and his family determined they could not reopen profitably. Crossroads thrived on volume, on guests in back to back booths and at the counter, on lines waiting for the next table to turn. The layout of Crossroads and its business model simply does not work in a world with social distancing.
Nearing retirement, Mr. Doyle decided after the forced closure in March to contemplate listing the business for sale and discussed that idea with me. After many soul searching and daily assessment of the changing phased opening restrictions, Mr. Doyle and his family decided to permanently close their business. Mr. Doyle and our company came to a mutual agreement that will result in us taking back the building as of July 30.
We will ride out these restrictions and eventually another business will lease the parcel and thrive there. We can be patient and wait for the right operator, the best partner, to reinvent this fantastic location and bring it back to life.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our 20+ year relationship with the Doyle family and are truly sad to see them go. They were model tenants and partners. We also wish future success to all the hard-working men and women that made Crossroads a Delaware favorite for so many years.
The restaurant is west of Wilmington near the intersection of Kirkwood Highway and Limestone Road.
