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In this photo from 2018 is Oysters Restaurant owner and operator William Bunch. He has fed people his home-style cooking for 24-plus years at his Crystal River restaurant, and despite the rumors, he says he is not retiring.
In this photo from 2018 is Oysters Restaurant owner and operator William Bunch. He has fed people his home-style cooking for 24-plus years at his Crystal River restaurant, and despite the rumors, he says he is not retiring.
Matthew Beck / Chronicle photo editorAbout six months ago, a For Sale sign went up outside Oysters Restaurant, which set the rumor mill into overdrive.
On Tuesday, William Bunch, the owner of the iconic Crystal River eatery, set the record straight: Yes, the restaurant is for sale and has been for years.
But no, he’s not retiring.
“People talk; they say what they’re going to say,” Bunch said when asked if the rumor is true. “I love my people too much to leave them. But I do have a two-year plan.”
Bunch, who turned 68 in June, said his plan is to cut back on the “day-to-day” of the restaurant business when he turns 70 to concentrate on catering and special events.
“You’re hearing it from the horse’s mouth,” he said.
Bunch, born and raised in Crystal River, started in the restaurant business as a dishwasher at the then-Plantation Inn when he was 13 and worked his way up the ladder as cook, then kitchen manager and finally to food manager.
“And then I worked my way out the door,” he told the Chronicle in 2012.
In 1998, Bunch took his 30 years of experience and bought Oysters Restaurant and Catering, located in the heart of downtown Crystal River on busy U.S. 19.
After 24-plus years serving community regulars and tourists and everyone in between, Bunch said he’s not going anywhere.
“I’m never going to retire,” he said. “I’ll be cooking unless something changes or until the Lord calls me home. Until then, I’m not going anywhere.”
Oysters Restaurant and Catering is at 606 SE US Hwy. 19, Crystal River. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday and closed Monday. Call 352-795-2633.
Nancy Kennedy can be reached at 352-564-2927 or by email at nkennedy@chronicleonline.com.
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