Dave and Barbara Stone have closed the Perkins on Route 35 in Neptune, which they owned for decades
For Dave and Barbara Stone, 1 p.m. Sunday was the hardest moment of their lives.
That’s when they closed the Perkins Restaurant in Neptune, a business they have owned together on Route 35 for decades.
The restaurant over the years developed a huge following made up of locals and people who regularly passed through.
Whether it was selling gift certificates or allowing school kids to sell candy outside, the Stones strengthened a dedication to family values by partnering often with schools, churches and other organizations.
“This is very hard right now,” Barbara Stone said Tuesday, adding that the local Perkins has been “an institution” in Neptune since 1962.
“It’s heartbreaking,” she said.
Dave Stone, who turned 67 on Monday, got a job as a chef at the restaurant in 1970, cooking and managing until 1983.
That’s when he became operating partner, co-owning the Perkins with Barbara.
The restaurant flourished for decades, thanks largely to the Stone’s involvement in the community, and the restaurant’s family-friendly flair.
Eugene Stewart began working there as a teenager, when Dave offered him his first job.
“Two years of employment, a lifetime of memories, meetings, informal gatherings and solicitations for some organization or another, Perkins was home away from home for me,” Stewart wrote on Facebook.
“To Mr. and Mrs. Stone, the Perkins Family over the years, I thank you for times and lessons never to be forgotten,” Stewart wrote.
Before closing, the family placed a sign in the restaurant thanking their customers.
“The people in Neptune have been wonderful,” Dave Stone said. “It’s just a wonderful town.”
On Monday, the oval “Perkins” sign came down – a sad nod to everyone that the end had come.
“We were here seven days a week sometimes. I haven’t had a vacation since my 60th birthday,” Dave said. “It was time to close.”
Times had changed and it was getting “tough to turn a profit in this business,” he said.
The Stones now plan to spend more time with their children and grandchildren.
“It was sad watching that sign come down yesterday,” Dave said. “This restaurant meant a lot to a lot of people. It was the epitome of a family restaurant.”
Perkins in Neptune closes tomorrow afternoon & it’s truly a heartbreaking thing. So many memories so sad to see it close. pic.twitter.com/h6vWj52f8j
— Kat[?] (@_kat95) August 26, 2018
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
