A legendary restaurant touting “the world’s best onion rings,” and known for its fried catfish and original super club feel has closed.
Owner Andy Huston announced via Facebook on Wednesday that Club 41 in St. Augustine is permanently closed, due primarily to staffing issues.
The post reads: First, we would like to say a huge Thank You for your continued loyalty and support of the Club over the last 2 years. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know each of you and being able to serve you.
However, it is with extremely heavy hearts and deep sincerity that we are sorry to announce that we are closing Club 41. We feel that this is our only option at this time as despite our best efforts we can’t seem to keep fully staffed and simply can’t do it all.
Club 41 opened in 1957.
Huston tells WGIL, “My kitchen manager passed away this winter, and two other cooks left. So basically, we lost all three of our cooks. We tried to find replacements, but just didn’t have much luck. Instead of relying on workers we couldn’t count out, we just decided to close.”
Asked if there was a chance the restaurant could reopen, Huston said, “It’s permanent. I’m pretty soured on the whole thing, so I’m just going to call it.
“I’ll put it up for sale. I’m a farmer, and once I’m done with planting, I’ll call a Realtor and get it listed.”
Huston, who resides near Roseville, has owned Club 41 for just more than two years. He noted his family have been longtime customers.
“We had a good customer base,” Huston said. “We took over right after COVID, and had things rolling pretty good. The place was back up on its feet, and we were putting out good food.
“Everybody is sad or bummed that we are closing, and people are sharing their memories they had when they were kids going to Club 41. I’ve been going there for over 50 years, and that’s kind of why I bought it — just to keep it going.”
He added, “It’s a great place for the community, and I hate to see it go away. But we just can’t keep it going without staff. “
