GEDDES, N.Y. — The restaurant and bar inside the Western Ranch Motor Inn are closing.
Owner Wally Gaworecki said he sold the Geddes business to a friend. That friend will turn the inn into an independently owned extended-stay facility without the bar and restaurant. Gaworecki said the new owner will still improve the facility.
“I’m sure it’s going to be left in great hands and condition,” said Gaworecki.
The bar and restaurant, which is open seven days a week, will remain open until Oct. 27. There will be several customer appreciation events held in October, beginning Oct. 8. Gaworecki said he will reinvite the bands who have played there in the last 40 years.
The owner said he has many memories of the business. He noted that some of his favorites are from guests who attended the Great New York State Fair and the annual Syracuse Nationals Car Show.
Bands Three Dog Night and Alabama and Whitney Houston are just some of the entertainers who’ve spent nights at the Western Ranch Motor Inn. Some of their photos are on the walls of the inn.
Whitney Houston stayed when she was at the Great New York State Fair in 1986.
“She was very young and they brought her here,” said Gaworecki. “We had to make a special lunch for her and take care of her a little bit as the manager wished. That was kind of fun.”
Yet, Gaworecki said it’s time for him to move on. He said his staff, whom he calls his “family,” have done a great job providing the best service they could offer.
He added that in the closing days of the business, customers will be able to purchase some of the memorabilia inside it. That includes sports memorabilia, as well as items from the Syracuse area and the Great NYS Fair.
“People can come in, browse around, have a dinner and a drink and enjoy,” said Gaworecki. “Maybe they’ll take home a piece of history.”
Gaworecki said that once he’s done, he will serve as an advisor to Wally’s Belvedere just up the road.
The Western Ranch Motor Inn first opened on Oct. 6, 1981.
