Olivet Residents Are Not Satisfied with Dining Options in Town, Recent Survey Says
- jwebb072
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
By Jack Webb
OLIVET, Mich. — A recent survey has revealed some dissatisfaction among Olivet residents regarding the dining options within city limits. The anonymous survey was posted to local Facebook groups last week and included a variety of questions asking how residents feel about the current options and many factors associated with them, as well as former options that no longer exist. A total of 54 people responded.
Out of the respondents, 46% have lived in Olivet for at least 16 years, with 37% having been a resident for 6-15 years, meaning that a majority of respondents have lived in Olivet to have potentially witnessed the changes within the dining landscape in Olivet, including some former restaurants that are no longer around.
When it comes to the current dining options, though, 90% of respondents said that they are dissatisfied with the amount of options in Olivet, with 48% saying that they are very dissatisfied.
“We were just sort of shocked at the lack of restaurants,” said Karen Carpenter, who moved to Olivet from Portland, Michigan in January.
Julie Harmon, who has lived in Olivet all her life, also believes that the town should have more dining options.
“We're a little tiny little town, so it's not like we're going to have, you know, 10 different restaurants,” Harmon said.
Despite this, she still believes that adding more options would "satisfy the community."
People were also asked what new dining options they would like to see in Olivet. The thing that was mentioned most, by 22 responses, is the addition of a sit-down restaurant or a diner that is "family-friendly", and four responses also mentioned an option for breakfast. Seven people mentioned more fast food options, and four want another bar.
When it comes to what restaurant currently in Olivet is the favorite among the respondents, 24 responses mentioned the newest place in town, The Farmers Scoop. 13 responses mentioned Tim’s Pizza, which aside from some stops and starts along the way, has been operating longer than any of the other known dining options in town. Eight responses mentioned Subway, while six mentioned Block House.
The final question that the survey asked was what former food option in Olivet do people miss the most. Among the people who have lived in Olivet long enough to have an answer, 14 responses listed The Coachlight Inn.
“I enjoyed Coachlight because you were able to sit inside with friends and family and [it] had great food,” said Laurie Hines. “It was also a place that the community would all gather, [and] you knew your wait staff’s name and it felt like family.”
The Eagle’s Nest was also mentioned by eight people. Both restaurants were located in downtown Olivet, and were sit-down places that also offered breakfast options, which does not fit the description of any currently operating restaurant in town. Five mentioned Tim’s Pizza when it was owned by Scott Ramage before 2024, and four said The Lamplighter, which came to Olivet in 2010, and was owned by Olivet College from 2018 until its closure a few years later.
“We went to Tim's Pizza to see Scott and Becky [Scott’s wife],” Harmon said. “It was just kind of just like one of our family favorites.”
Despite how some may feel about the change of ownership, however, new customers still get to try it out for themselves.
“We tried all the different pizzas and they were very good,” Carpenter said. “We were having fun trying it, and it's good pizza, so we'll probably go there again.”
Although Olivet residents want more options, Harmon, who is a realtor, said that it is much easier said than done.
"We don't have any place in town, I mean someone would have to build a new structure, therefore, lots of money would have to be involved." Harmon said. "I feel like we need to stick to small goals."
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