KALAMAZOO, MI -- Over 44 years at the Great Lakes Shipping Co., Peter Cotter has seen employees, many college students, come and go. He's happy to see some of them return years later to thank him for their experience there.

"It's a lot like coaching a team," he said about working with staff at the restaurant at 4525 West KL Ave. near Western Michigan University's campus.

At a meeting Saturday, June 9, Cotter, the proprietor and owner of the restaurant, planned to gather his team to tell them the restaurant will have its last day of business on Saturday, June 30.

He talked about the planned closure while holding back emotions as his staff prepared for dinner service at the establishment.

"Kalamazoo's been really great to us," Cotter said. "A lot of great memories in those 44 years."

Cotter, who will turn 65 in July, was a student who worked as a waiter at the restaurant when it opened in 1974, he said, and he moved to Ann Arbor to be an assistant manager of a new location there in 1976, and became general manager of a new Traverse City location in 1979.

He came back to Kalamazoo to be general manager in 1981 and bought the Kalamazoo location in 1988.

He remembers the place being especially busy for events like New Year's Eve, Mothers Day, and Western Michigan University graduations.

Summers, on the other hand, were always sleepy, he said, and the business lost money in some recent years.

"You have to draw the line somewhere," he said.

Things have changed in the industry in recent years, and business has been tighter than it has been in the past and sales have dwindled, he said.

"I dont think were as fashionable as we used to be," he said. "I'm not sure people dine as much as they eat out."

Great Lakes Shipping Co. in Kalamazoo to close after 44 years 15 Gallery: Great Lakes Shipping Co. in Kalamazoo to close after 44 years

He said the restaurant caters to an older mature audience, and that group hasn't grown. He said many new restaurants are more casual and appeal to a different demographic compared to Great Lakes Shipping Co.

The real estate is being sold, he said, and the new owners are not planning to open a restaurant there.

It will be tough to let the restaurant go, but it will also be a burden off his back, he said.

"It's time to go," Cotter said.

He has enjoyed seeing former employees come back to visit.

"When you get someone going to Western, they work for you 3 or 4 years, graduate, and go into a successful career, when they come back to Kalamazoo 10 or 15 years later, A, they're amazed I'm still here and, B, they're amazed I remembered them," Cotter said.

They remember him, too, and often say working there was a thrill or a great time in their life, he said, which is rewarding.

Cotter, who lives in Texas Township with his wife, Anelyse, plans to spend more time with his children and grandchildren, and at the gym.

Cotter thanked the employees including longtime General Manager Jim Johnson for their roles in the restaurant's success over the years.

He will miss the business and everyone who supported it.

"I appreciate the loyalty and consistency of our regular customers," Cotter said. "A lot of great people come through the door."

Cotter said he is announcing the planned closure to allow people a few weeks to use gift certificates and an announcement will be made soon about art and other items from the restaurant to be offered for sale after the final day of business.