The legend of Carey Hilliard's
By Ken Burger
The last Carey Hilliard's Restaurant closed this week. There once were two, one on Sam Rittenburg Boulevard and one on Rivers Avenue, but the economy has taken its toll.
The family-style establishments were middle-of-the-road fare, somewhere between Shoney's and the old Robertson's Cafeteria.
But the story behind the story was always more interesting than the food.
Go back in time to 1982, just before Christmas, on a cold, rainy night outside Savannah. Just after midnight, a small private plane crashed on approach to the local airport, killing four people.
Previous story
Economy takes toll on local dining, published 01/06/09
Among them were Carey Hilliard, 45, and his wife, Kathleen, 49, owners of a restaurant chain with stores in Savannah and Charleston. Also killed in the crash were C. Allan Parker, the pilot, and an accountant, Mary Thomas.
They had departed Charleston late that night, headed home for the holidays. After one failed attempt to land in bad weather, the pilot apparently circled for another try and crashed about two miles short of the runway.
News of the couple's deaths stunned both communities where the Hilliards did business. The time of year, December 12th, added to the sadness.
Best-kept secrets
It wasn't until later that the rumors started.
The stories, passed along in whispers, said the prosperous couple had hidden wads of money in their Savannah home.
Those in the restaurant business did not think it was implausible. Cash has a way of disappearing like dirty dishwater, out the back door, without a trace.
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The only problem, the story said, was they didn't tell other family members about the stash. That they went to their deaths as the only ones who knew.
The family allegedly sold off the house, never knowing there was a cache of cash hidden under the floor.
The capper to the legend said the new owners found the money, and kept it. Amounts were as varied as the storytellers.
As rumors go, it was a good one. Complete with a moral. That the best-kept secrets never get told.
Unfortunate truth
Truth, however, often ruins a good story.
When asked this week about the oft-told yarn, a family member laughed and said it was "the oldest rumor in the world."
Officially, Tom Richardson is the corporate assistant to the president of Hilliard's Restaurants at the home office in Savannah.
Unofficially, he is the nephew of Carey and Kathleen Hilliard. His mother was Carey Hilliard's sister.
The house in question, he said, was in Thunderbolt, Ga., a fishing village just outside Savannah. He said he once lived in the house before it was sold.
He scoffs, however, at the notion that all this money was left behind by his aunt and uncle.
"There's that one and 1,500 other rumors floating around about that house," he said in an interview this week.
"But the house is still there, and the floor safe is still there."
Floor safe? That gives credence to the idea that something was hidden in the floor.
And, indeed, there was.
"The only thing they found when they opened that safe was a bunch of Las Vegas poker chips," Richardson said.
So, were they of any value?
"Not worth anything," he said.
Much, unfortunately, like the rumor itself.
Reach Ken Burger at kburger@postandcourier.com or (843) 937-5598. To read previous columns, go to Charleston.net/burger/.
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jca (anonymous) says...
the treated their staff like garbage good riddance
i worked there years ago i should know
January 8, 2009 at 10:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
irish (anonymous) says...
Johnny, You say "customer service will put a company out of business faster than anything else." Then why were they in business so long? I never worked there and haven't known anyone who worked there. I do know that there are disgruntled employees in every business. I personally liked Carey Hilliards. I just don't think it closed because of the way the employees were treated.
January 8, 2009 at 3:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
thismansopinion (anonymous) says...
Well stated, "Irish".
Fine people, fine establishment...
Just another victim of our poor economy...
Unfortunately, there will never be a shortage of nefarious ner-do-wells who are unable to to put a business together yet possess an unending wealth of knowledge on how to run one. Any and all businesses will always encounter a few individuals who dont fit in or are not cut out for job. Doesnt necessarily mean the business or the employees are bad people...just means they're not compatible. They, Carey Hilliards, were offering and providing a job/jobs. If you want the job take it...If you dont like the pay...dont. Simple. No-one is forced to take any job. Who among us has never had a job that they hated or were'nt right for.
In these times, any business that fails will ultimately have an adverse effect on us all...
Good luck to them. Hopefully they will bounce back.
Good will breeds good will...and vise-versa.
January 8, 2009 at 6:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jncturner (anonymous) says...
My heart is broken! For so many years friends, my wife and I would go to Carey Hilliard's after church on Wednesday nights and Sunday nights to fellowship and drink THE best tea in the low country, IMHO. We still brag on those times to our church folks here in NW Washington, 12 years later. You know, we NEVER had much trouble with service. We told the waitress to be sure there was a pot of coffee on the stove and a pitcher of tea on the counter, and we served ourselves. If food was ordered, it arrived promptly, and was generally good low country fare.
I would agree with the majority of the posters, that there will always be malcontents that want to be paid FAR more than they are worth for doing work far below an honest day's pay.
BTW, did they leave the recipe for the ice tea to anybody?
Pastor Jim Turner
Birch Bay,WA
January 8, 2009 at 7:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mgre85 (anonymous) says...
My mother worked at the rivers location many years ago. I would say in 1984-1985, i was not even conceived yet. I remember her saying how poorly the managers treated the employees and the nightmares about how dirty and filthy that kitchen was. I never ate at that place for one because the commercials they had, got on my last nerves, and I dont like to eat a bowl of grease!
January 8, 2009 at 7:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kyrsty (anonymous) says...
Jncturner seems to pointed out a possible reason for this restaurant.ls demise. 2 times a week he, his wife, and their friends would go to a restaurant and use it like a social club. They'd order coffee and tea and serve themselves while occupying tables that some poor 2.13 cent an hour waitress needed to make her salary. If that wasn't bad enough he says when he and his group ordered food he had no problems with it.
Multiply that times all the other inconsiderate/rude people Charleston seems to posess and you see one contributing factor to why restaurants can't survive.
January 8, 2009 at 8:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tallblonde (anonymous) says...
I always laughed at the tv commercials - they showed pics of food - the club sandwiches always looked grey...LOL - never made me want to go to Carey Hilliard's.... :)
January 8, 2009 at 10:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
surfer (anonymous) says...
kyrsty you seen to not understand food and bev very well.
Point 1: Customer satisfaction leads to better tips which is how 2.13 per hour waiter/waitresses make their money. jncturner and company probably (I would assume because he sounds like a good hearted person)tipped well which made them an enjoyable party to serve.
Point 2: There's more than enough bad managers and disgruntled waiters and waitresses in food and bev. Carey Hillards went out of business because the community did not patronize the restaurants well enough for the owners to make a profit because there was little demand for their food. With the advent of quality fast food in the area the down home, family restaurants like Carey Hillards went the way of the dinosaurs due to competition. Not from employee disgruntlement (you can always find someone else in food and bev when someone leaves... ALWAYS!) but from restaurants like Chick-Fil-A, Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays, etc. offering higher quality food with a quicker turn around. We've become an instant gratification society and the style of eatery that Carey Hillard's was didn't fit the society anymore.
Point 3: As far as people in this area are concerned you must not be very well versed in the culture around here. Charleston is one of the nicest places to live with some of the friendliest people in the country. The only jerks that I run across are either yankee and Ohio transplants who try come down here and change things or the locals who run across said yankee/ohio jerks demanding that we conform to their ways. Maybe you're one of those transplants who comes down here and gets the rude/inconsiderate treatment because of your own ill treatment of the locals. This is purely speculation and conjecture. It may be backwards from the rest of the country, but I don't see things changing anytime soon. You can't beat it here!
January 9, 2009 at 1:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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