Staff And Community Team Up To Revive The Antique Kitchen

The Antique Kitchen in Portage has announced that, in an unprecedented move, in order to remain open, the staff is partnering with the original owner to breathe new life into the restaurant, which was operating for over 50 years.

Over the last month, we’ve watched the ups and downs of this story, which, as they describe, came out of nowhere and left the staff shocked.

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The Antique Kitchen Re-Opening With Help From Original Owner

On Sunday, January 25 staff was informed the restaurant would be closing its doors at the end of day, without warning or time to prepare our loyal patrons. This unexpected foreclosure by the previous owners has left the community deeply saddened by the loss and the employees scrambling to defend the business’ decades long legacy.

This is when the employees did something that was a long-shot, but ended up working to their advantage, and that was going back to where it all started for help:

Unprepared, now unemployed and unwilling to accept this fate, the staff has banded together with the ORIGINAL OWNER Jackie Dutton to re-open the diner and restore it to its former glory!! We’re currently working hard painting, cleaning and providing some overall TLC to the building to get it ready for re-opening by the end of February 2026. We invite you back to the family reunion and welcome you home.

This is a huge win for people who have not only made The Antique Kitchen a regular spot for them on a weekly basis, but to go back to its roots, almost guaranteeing that the restaurant will be better than it ever has been. We are keeping an eye out for when they plan on officially reopening.