Longtime airport-area restaurant 94th Aero Squadron closing after 40 years

Longtime restaurant 94th Aero Squadron has announced it will close its doors in June.

The East Side restaurant at 5030 Sawyer Rd. will close after nearly 43 years in business, the restaurant announced on its website.

"Our lease is ending at that time and we have decided to explore other opportunities," read the post. "Please know this decision came with a great deal of thought (and tears). We have loved our time at the 94th Aero Squadron and so appreciate each and every customer and staff member that we have had the privilege of knowing."

The restaurant reopened on Friday for repairs after a pipe burst. The last day of business is set for June 18.

Ownership said the restaurant plans to "go out with a bang" with events, monthly specials and a grand closing party for regulars and former staff.

Located in a 1917 French farmhouse, the restaurant was first opened by California-based Specialty Restaurants in 1980 and was known for its aviation theme with an interior full of military memorabilia and views of planes taking off at nearby John Glenn Columbus International Airport.

The restaurant is named after the United States Army Air Service squadron in World War I, of which Columbus native and Medal of Honor recipient Eddie Rickenbacker was a fighter pilot.

tmoorman@dispatch.com

@taijuannichole

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: East Side aviation restaurant 94th Aero Squadron to close after 43 years