However, The Dixie Kitchen has been thriving and got a bump from a long-lost episode of "Check, Please" that aired recently with then-state senator Barack Obama giving it a rave review.
"I have to give my thanks to Barack. I mean, he certainly did give us a push, but we opened in '94, and unlike most restaurants, we were successful almost from the day we opened," said owner Carol Andresen.
The Dixie Kitchen restaurants in Evanston and Lansing are staying in business.
