POCATELLO — The local Perkins Family Restaurant & Bakery will end its 26-year run of serving breakfasts, famous pies and comfort food to the Gate City community on Dec. 12.

Bill Barry, president of Bannock Cakes Inc., which operates the local Perkins franchise, explained that Stan Hales, who has managed the restaurant since its opening, has decided to retire to spend time with his wife, who has experienced health issues.

“We had an employee meeting last night and made this announcement to the employees,” Barry said Wednesday morning.

Barry said Perkins has a staff of about 40 workers and he’s encouraged by the opportunities they’ll have to find new employment, given the low unemployment and the high demand for workers now, especially among eateries.

Their agreement with Perkins ends on Dec. 12. They’ve sold the building and land to a Boise businessman.

Barry said he and Hales encouraged the new owner to keep the building running as a Perkins.

“They looked into continuing the Perkins franchise operation, but as of last week they decided against it,” Barry said. “They will be doing something else.”

Barry said restaurants suffered for more than a year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the two-month period in which eateries were ordered to be closed. However, Barry said Perkins endured that challenging time, and business has been relatively strong throughout the past six months.

The decision to close was not based on COVID-19, Barry emphasized.

“It’s not a case of where we’re going out of business. It’s a conscious decision to not renew the franchise and retire,” Barry said. “We invite people to come to the store to congratulate (Hales) and say goodbye.”

According to the Perkins website, the chain was founded in 1958 as a pancake house in Ohio. It now has about 300 locations in 32 states and two Canadian provinces.