Milky Way restaurant in Franklin County to close after 55 years

Milky Way Restaurant, a family legacy and a staple in the Fort Loudon community, is set to close in the near future.

Manager Grayson Dinsmore said a closing date has not yet been decided. The restaurant's board of directors, which consists of four family members, came to the decision recently after nearly a year of discussions.

A rumor that the property at Pa. 75 and U.S. 30 has been sold is just that, a rumor. But it is for sale.

"We have not sold to anyone, but we are always accepting offers," said Kayla Gehr, Dinsmore's sister.

Why is Milky Way closing?

A lack of workers is driving Milky Way to close. Dinsmore said he can’t find workers that stick around long-term. The restaurant had 33 employees a week ago, down from at least 55 a year ago — a decrease of about 40%.

“So, quite a drop in just a year. Three people get hired, two people leave. So I can barely win,” he said.

The family was hoping things would turn around when they began talking last year about possibly having to close, Gehr said. But that hasn’t happened, and recently the restaurant has had to cut back operating hours and even close some days.

Advertising for positions hasn’t helped.

“We’ve had signs out front, which we’ve never had to do,” Gehr said.

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Dinsmore said he has even offered raises to employees if they get friends to come in to work and the person does a good job.

The restaurant offers "competitive" wages and pay is based on experience, Gehr said.

What about inflation?

Inflation has had an impact on Milky Way, too. Dinsmore said they’ve had to raise prices on items to turn any profit. Some customers have complained when an item they purchased on their last visit is a higher price the next time.

For example, the price of a cheeseburger has gone up almost 86% in 12 years. Gehr said it was $1.75 back then, and now the menu shows $3.25.

The pandemic shutdown in 2020 did not affect business much at all, Gehr said. With the increase in to-go orders, they were able to keep almost all of their employees.

History of Milky Way

The original Milky Way Drive-in opened in 1961 as an ice cream stand that was open eight months a year, according to past reporting in The Public Opinion.

The late Roger Dinsmore was behind the restaurant the community has known for more than half a century. He took over Milky Way on Aug. 7, 1967, after working there as a teenager. He expanded the business, adding more variety to the menu and an enclosed dining room. Today, his wife Sandra Dinsmore owns it.

"My grandfather was here all the time," Grayson Dinsmore said. "He made doughnuts. His mother was involved heavily and his grandmother. Pretty much everybody in the family has worked here at some point.”

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Dinsmore said he first worked in the restaurant at age 7 or 8, filling the ice cream machine and preparing strawberries. It was either Mother's Day or Father's Day, and he went to work with his parents.

“I learned to make doughnuts when I was 15 with my father and grandfather, and I've been making them ever since.”

Milky Way was a part of major life events for both Dinsmore and Gehr. Dinsmore proposed to his now-wife at Milky Way in 2017, and they married the next year. She handles human relations for the business.

Gehr met her husband at the restaurant in 2018. They married last August.

Roger Dinsmore, who served several terms on the Fannett-Metal school board during his years running the restaurant, passed away in 2019. Health problems kept him from working at Milky Way in the preceding years.

His grandson said he's not sure yet what a future without Milky Way will look like for him or his family.

“Thank you for almost 55 great years of service. We’re gonna miss everybody. And we just pray that the Lord takes care of everybody."

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: Labor shortage drives Franklin County's Milky Way restaurant to close