The Unfortunate, Though Predictable, Demise of a Local Institution

Troubling local news this morning. Not exactly surprising, but troubling, nonetheless. 

The Hillsboro, Mo. Hardees closed, permanently, on Sunday, November 27, 2022. 

 Hillsboro is the official seat of Jefferson County.

I moved to a rural property, just outside Hillsboro, in 2006. Hillsboro was established for the sole purpose of being a county seat, on property alongside a natural spring in the 1830s. Prior to that, the only fully established towns were along the Mississippi river. There is no industry in Hillsboro. No hotels or Starbucks or department or big-box stores either. In a county of 226,739 people, the sixth most populous county in the state, there are only 3,473 Hillsboro residents. Most of the county’s population lives to the north, just outside and within comfortable commuting distance of greater St. Louis. Many of the businesses and offices are county government related. The courthouse, the jail, the health department, the official administrative offices, many law firms and bail bond shops are all located in a few block radius of the intersection of Highway 21 and State Route BB (Main Street). When I first moved to the area this intersection was the location of the only fully operational traffic light in the town. Also at that intersection is/was the Hardees. Prominent in that location it was a popular meeting place for lawyers, their clients, local administrators, and officials, especially in the morning hours. A place to grab a cup of coffee a biscuit and to have a little away time from more sterile, less genteel offices, cubicles and desks. It was also a locally recognized landmark, a meeting place for exchanges of dogs, kids, etc. For us, Angel and I, it was for 16 years, an almost-convenient, nearby place to grab a burger or cup of coffee. I once saved the life of a small dog there, a story I shared, and eventually published in a little blog article I wrote called
“Oscar: A tale of Karma, Unfulfilled” . At one time Hardees was a regular weekend treat. I loved the sausage and egg biscuits, and the rarely crowded dining area was a cozy, quiet place to read in peace. I haven’t done that very much the last several years. Reasons. Reasons that included but not exclusively, changes in personal habits, covid, general laziness. The last three years, during the pandemic, the dining area remained closed for a while, and like many other fast food franchise outlets, staffing suffered. 

Angel and I would still sporadically utilize the drive-through to pick  up a quick lunch, a Famous Star with Cheese, and a medium order of French fries. Even as recently as this Monday evening, it was considered a viable option. Little did we know, the place was, by then, already shuttered. Gone now are the weekend mornings spent inside at the order counter, a book under one arm, a cup of coffee, a sausage biscuit on a tray. Gone now are the covert eavesdropping occasions, listening in on the discussions of an upcoming trial or hearing or deed transfer. Gone are the days of the drive-through breakfast pick-ups and the subsequent short drive to my favorite Hillsboro shady spot at the nearby city cemetery. . . . I wax nostalgically this morning about the nation-wide decline of small-town America. . . I shed a private tear for the fading away of things familiar. I grieve, a certain, sadly familiar, casualty of living a long life. A silly thing to be sentimental about, I suppose. Life will go on. The building, I am sure, will be repurposed or torn down within a few months, to make way for . . . something else. Hillsboro already has a McDonalds, A Taco Bell, a Subway, a Dairy Queen. . . There was a lot of low-information speculation on Facebook this morning, dubious mentions of disgusting, roach infested, poor service and anecdotal references to bad coffee, possum meat, and rude employees. . . I personally never witnessed any of that. For me it was just a handy place to grab some nourishment and a moment or two of respite from the daily grind.