A popular Delaware restaurant will soon open in the village of Galena.
“The rumors are true,” said Son of Thurman owner Chris DeVol, in an email. “While we haven’t officially announced an opening date yet, Son of Thurman is opening a second location at the former Mudflats in Galena.”
Mudflats Bar & Grill, 31 Columbus St., announced it was closing on May 26.
“We regret to announce that we will not be reopening at this time,” Mudflats’ owners said on Facebook. “You can imagine the deliberation that went into this decision. We have decided the best decision for our family is to not take on the financial risk that comes with operating under capacity restrictions. Thank you for your years of patronage and support. We hope to see you in the future — and please keep supporting local businesses!”
Mudflats described itself as serving “American cuisine with a rustic flair” for lunch and dinner, with live music on the weekends. The unique name came from its location, being at the northern tip of Hoover Reservoir, which sometimes releases water to reveal a muddy, flat bottom in Galena.
In recent weeks, the sale was also announced on Facebook.
“We are grateful for the experience of owning this business for the last seven years,” states the Mudflats Facebook page. “And we’re especially grateful for you and your support. We are very excited for our next chapter and excited for what lies ahead with the new owners. We are certain they will continue to honor the tradition established in 2006 when Mudflats was founded — of bringing together great friends and great food in the village of Galena!”
Son of Thurman is known for sandwiches such as the Thurmanator — an enormous loaded double hamburger that has been featured on television; and Delaware’s own the Pacer Burger, which is topped with two hot dogs. The restaurant’s menu is eight pages long, filled with appetizers, subs, wings, salads and thin-crust pizzas.
The original Thurman Cafe opened in Columbus in 1942, and the fourth generation of the family opened the Son of Thurman a few years ago in downtown Delaware.
Now, the eastern part of Delaware County will have its own Son of Thurman.
“Currently we are renovating the restaurant, “Thurmanizing” it, if you will, and anticipate opening sometime after the first of the year,” DeVol said. “As a longtime resident of Sunbury/Galena, I’m thrilled to bring the Thurman experience to my community.”
