The Commons Restaurant, a beloved Little Compton landmark in the village center that has nourished and nurtured loyal customers for nearly 60 years, went on the market earlier this month at an asking price of slightly under $1.5 million.

Cara Oliveria, daughter of the owners — the late George Crowther, who passed away in 2022, and his wife Barbara — said it’s time for the family to part with the local institution, often referred to as Commons Lunch, but she’ll be sad to see it go.

How did the business originate?

My grandfather owned a restaurant, the Square Diner in Fall River, so my father grew up doing restaurant work. It was mainly my father’s idea to buy [what was then called] The Commons Lunch in Little Compton, which the Simmons family ran at the time.

My grandfather said, “Georgie, you are never going to make it in that little town. There’s nothing but farms everywhere! I wish you luck, but it’s never going to work!”

My parents started the business in 1967 with my uncle and his wife [the late Donald and Joan Crowther], and the restaurant was successful right from the start.

How did the restaurant evolve through the years?

At one time, we opened at 5 a.m. The fishermen, who worked out of Sakonnet Point, would come in every day at that time. It was a big port, and there was a lot going on down there.

Some retired people would also come in at 5 a.m. They loved being here that early, but when the fishing industry at Sakonnet Point kind of died, we had to change the hours.

Eventually we were open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, throughout the year. The only day we were closed was on Christmas.

We had a lot more businesses in town at the time. There were gift shops, gas stations, and even an ice cream parlor down the road. People would come here for dinner and then go there for ice cream. We have a lot of people who have been coming here for 40 or 50 years.

COVID was crazy. We did a lot of to-go meals. And afterwards, we no longer had the staffing to stay open so late.

What was your father’s management style?

He worked very hard for many years, and he was here all the time. He practically lived here. He was very friendly and loved talking with the customers.

He was a great boss. This was a good starting point for a lot of people in town.

As a family, we were happy. We were always able to work. My sister [Cheryl Tammaro] and I worked here for a good amount of time, and my parents’ five grandchildren all worked here. Some of them continue to do so.

Everybody loved my father, and there weren’t many people who didn’t know him. They’d come in, even if they weren’t hungry, and ask, “Is your father here? We are just going to have a cup of coffee to see if George is here to talk to.”

Do you have a plan to keep the place running through the summer?

That would be up to the potential buyer and what their parameters are.

What is your vision for the future?

I hate to say we are old school, but we really are. To be really successful, you definitely have to change with the times. You need a healthier menu. We sell more broiled fish these days than fried, for example.

There is definitely potential for anyone that buys it to do whatever they want. I’m thinking somebody could downsize the restaurant a bit, make it a little smaller, and at the same time, they could have another business in the back, maybe an ice cream shop or a little bakery. It’s got a lot of potential, but it will take someone willing to put in the time and of course, the effort.

There is a beer and wine license that is very valuable — only one [business] in the center of town can have that. That will go with the sale of the restaurant. People could come into a little café and have a glass of wine and soup and salad.

Why did your family decide to sell?

My mom, who is the owner, is older now and has some health issues. In her younger days, she worked side by side with my father. Things change, and getting people to do all those things and keeping the menu as big as it was is hard for us. My sister and I both have professional jobs. I don’t want to spend all my extra time in a restaurant at this point. As much as we love it, my family doesn’t have that kind of time.

My husband [Greg Oliveira] is the manager and the primary chef. All of our food is handmade here, which is so different from most other restaurants. He’ll finally have some time to spend with the kids.

It would be one thing if we had someone who was gung-ho in the family and was like, “I can’t wait to spend 80 hours a week in a restaurant.”

My father was the only man that was going to take on that job. It got challenging for him but he was involved right up to the end. Even prior to his death, he said, “I think it’s going to be time to sell.” He understood in his heart we weren’t going to be able to do it.

My family, all my friends, and I will all miss it. We’ll miss it a lot. We probably won’t realize how much until it’s gone.