Kissin’ it goodbye:Local restaurant says goodbye after 13 years

By: Toni Walker

Editor

news@steelcountrybee.com

“All good things must come to an end.” That saying is as true in business as it is in life. And, the time has come for Gene and Vickie Nixon’s restaurant venture in Daingerfield to end. Kissin’ Kousins, located across from the Morris County Courthouse, has closed their doors after 13 years.

“This was a hard decision, but it is time for us to start the next chapter in our lives,” said owner Vickie Nixon. “We have many good memories, and have met a lot of great people,” she added. Nixon added that, since the first of the year, they have seen a decline in their business.

What started as a portable building that served ice cream and drinks blossomed into a favorite dining experience for many in the area. Awarded the title of “Best Chicken Fried Steak” numerous times in The Steel Country Bee’s annual “Best of the Best” contest, Gene and Vickie were known for offering a variety of homemade meals, including chicken spaghetti, huge baked potatoes, and those handmade, hand-breaded, home-cooked chicken fried steaks.

Kissin’ Kousins also became known over the past 13 years as a wonderful place to get desserts of all types. At one point, Vickie and Gene were selling chocolate-covered strawberries by the dozens as gifts for special Valentines. They regularly offered a variety of cakes, pies, and cobblers, all made in house, to patrons in search of that sweetness to finish off their meal.

Gene and Vickie were not the only ones who poured their heart and soul into the restaurant. Maxine Mercer has been with the Nixon’s for 10 of those 13 years, having started as a cook, and moving up to taking charge of the restaurant when Vickie and Gene were out of town. “It took me 30 minutes to put up the sign,” said Mercer, referring to the marquee announcing the closure and thanking the public for 13 years. “I have been here for a while with them, and I have watched kids grow up inside those walls,” added Mercer.

When asked why they are leaving, Vickie explains that they have a business in Branson with her brother and sister-in-law, selling gifts at Silver Dollar City. “No, it doesn’t have anything to do food,” laughs Vickie, who adds that “Gene has been up there since March, seeing if it would take off, and it has.” She also adds that Gene will be focusing on another of his loves in the new business venture: woodworking. “He has always enjoyed woodworking, and this way he gets to continue,” said Vickie.

Vickie said they did offer to sell the business to Mercer, who was unable to take them up on their offer. Instead, she spent the past week helping Vickie clean everything out in preparation of listing the building with a realtor. “I want everyone to know how much we love them, and how much we thank them for the past 13 years,” said Vickie. “I t was not an easy choice, but it was time.”