A Murrells Inlet restaurant closed this weekend. People waited in line for one last meal.
A line had formed outside Poppy’s Burgers & Subs in Murrells Inlet before it opened Sunday, July 2.
“That was so heartwarming. People I hadn’t seen in years were all coming by,” Owner John Canney said. “We had to open the doors just because there were so many people in the parking lot, and it did not stop.”
Sunday was the final day Poppy’s would open its doors to the public after being in operation for about 13 years. The restaurant closed at 3 p.m. Canney announced the day before that the restaurant was closing on Facebook.
It had been a dream of Canney’s to move to Murrells Inlet and open a restaurant. While living in Virginia, he’d been in the restaurant business, and he “ rolled the dice” when he opened Poppy’s.
“The family and friends is the best part of it all,” Canney said. “(I have) no regrets, and I am thrilled with the accomplishments we made.”
A family-owned and run restaurant, Poppy’s served burgers, sandwiches, and desserts like fried Oreos and Twinkies. Canney said his three daughters all worked at the eatery at one point.
The decision to close was sudden, he added. The business was still profitable, but the rigors of being open seven days a week led to the decision to close while “on top”. The deciding factor was the inability to hire and retain employees post-pandemic, Canney said.
“It’s a constant struggle,” he added. “Everybody thought once they survived COVID, they could survive anything, and this is even worse not being able to staff the place.”
Canney and his family plan to stay in the Grand Strand area. He said he didn’t have a plan in the future, but that he wanted to stay upbeat about the closure.
Poppy’s was located at 3290 Highway 17 Business in Murrells Inlet. According to Yelp, the restaurant was the number one burger place in the area, and its average review score of 4.5 stars out of 5 was one of the highest rated too.
This story was originally published July 3, 2023 at 12:21 PM.
