Connie McKellips and her husband Steve had been looking to buy a restaurant for a few years. When they heard that Suzi’s Village Inn was closing, they thought that would be a great opportunity for them to get started.

“Even though it was right in the middle of a pandemic, getting into the restaurant business is scary enough. Then adding the pandemic with it, to say the least has been interesting!” said Connie.

Connie and Steve hated to see Suzi’s Village Inn close, since it had been a staple in Fruitport as long as she could remember. As a young adult, Connie worked there. Her daughter worked at the restaurant as well. Sadly, Suzi’s closed not long ago, after nearly 35 years of business in Fruitport. But the McKellips have brought the restaurant back to life, renovating and adding some new menu items along with the best of the community’s favorites.

The new Village Inn opened up on February 8th of 2021, and, according to Connie, things are going well. “We just want to get the word out that we are open and ready for business,” she said.

The Village Inn’s hours are 7 days a week from 6am-2pm. The restaurant will also be looking into outdoor seating for summer, and Connie hopes to have that set up very soon.

by Kate and Calvin Holtrop: Published in the Fruitport Area News, 2021, May Issue, page 4