MUNCIE, IN — MCL Restaurant & Bakery will close its doors after more than a half-century of cafeteria-style service in the Muncie Mall.
The restaurant’s closing became inevitable on Feb. 26, when an official with Hull Property Group, owner of the Muncie Mall for more than two years, told the Muncie Redevelopment Commission that plans now call for demotion of the entire mall.
The only exception to the planned demolition is Buyer’s Market, an off-price retail store that opened in January 2021, in a portion of the facility added to the mall in 1997.
The original mall opened in 1970.
Diners who routinely visited MCL might have hoped they would have an opportunity to continue to eat there for several months, or longer.
John Mulherin, a vice president for Hull Property Group, told the redevelopment commission it could be as long as two years until the full demolition project is undertaken, given the leases of some of the facility’s few remaining tenants.
MCL, however, has operated under a short-term lease. While no official announcement has been made, store employees have told customers the cafeteria’s last day of business will be Sunday, March 29.
There are apparently no immediate plans for the restaurant to relocate in Muncie.
For a half-century, MCL has also provided meeting rooms used by local social groups and organizations for luncheon or dinner gatherings.
The MCL restaurant in the Muncie Mall opened in December 1975, moving into space near the facility’s main entrance that had previously been occupied by another cafeteria, Holland House.
Veteran Muncie Star columnist Dick Green reported the local MCL’s first customers included Farmland residents John and Nellie Mills, visiting the mall while celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary.
The cafeteria’s grand opening also drew “Grandma Faye” Jordan, described as a “featured performer” at all MCL openings, demonstrating “the making of the cafeteria chain’s rolls and noodles.”
News reports indicated MCL opened its first cafeteria in suburban Indianapolis in 1950. MCL eventually became “the second largest family-owned cafeteria chain” in the nation.
MCL restaurants in malls in Richmond and Anderson closed several years ago.
Once the Muncie Mall is gone, Mulherin suggested a national wholesale club could occupy a new building along McGalliard Road, with other retail operations and apartments possible for the former mall property.
“We want to tear down the whole thing tomorrow,” he said.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: MCL Restaurant & Bakery to close after 50 years at Muncie Mall
Reporting by Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
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