By KALEY LYON

klyon@dailynews.net

GORHAM -- After the hustle and bustle of a busy lunch hour, Gorham Cafe manager Betty Froelich sits down to reminisce.

As Froelich knows all too well, there's a lot of memories within those walls after 14 years of business.

Today is New Year's Eve, but it isn't such a happy holiday for the Froelich family. When the restaurant closes at 2 p.m., it's expected to close for good.

"We'll all survive it, but it's just a really low blow," Froelich said, wiping tears from her eyes.

The community-owned cafe relied on community donations and fundraisers to survive. With the national economy receding and the prices of food increasing, there simply weren't enough funds to fill the gap, said Tonya Murphy, co-owner of Gorham Telephone Co. and a member of the Gorham City Development Association.

"It's a very sad thing," Murphy said.

"I hate to see it happen."

In this small town of less than 400 people, the restaurant is one of few businesses drawing visitors in. The cafe long has been known for its Friday night German buffets, which often drew a large crowd of out-of-towners, Froelich said.

"It's the hub of this small old town," she said.

The restaurant was open from 6:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and all day Friday, serving a variety of home-cooked foods for breakfast and lunch. Many of the recipes were Froelich's own creations, blending traditional German tastes with other favorites.

Some months were better than others, but it always was a challenge to keep a small-town business afloat, Froelich said.

Residents and travelers alike often chose to bypass the Gorham Cafe for a meal in a larger town, such as Hays to the west or Russell to the east, she said.

Froelich, who was told about two weeks ago the cafe would close, also said the struggle in Gorham could be indicative of what is happening on a national level.

"It's terrible, and it's nobody's fault. It's this way everywhere," Froelich said. "Everybody's having the same problems."

This week has been a good week for business. Word is spreading quickly that the restaurant will close its doors, and many loyal customers are rushing in for another meal.

Froelich also compiled a cookbook, "Favorite Recipes from Betty's Kitchen," a couple of years ago, and book sales have increased as well. There are some still available, she said.

While the day was expected to be busy, and emotional, it was another day of business as usual. The restaurant served up liver and onions, just like every other Wednesday, and was open regular hours.

The business is staffed by three employees, including Froelich and her daughter, DeeDee Froelich.

DeeDee Froelich resides in Hays and expects to begin job hunting soon. Mother and daughter agree the hardest part of closing will be missing the many customers they've befriended through the years.

"We enjoy it," DeeDee Froelich said. "We enjoy the people, and we're going to miss them."

"My customers aren't just my customers, they're my friends," Betty Froelich said.

As for Betty Froelich, she's not quite sure what comes next. She hopes to stay in her hometown of Gorham for as long as possible and likely will seek employment elsewhere.

For now, however, she's going to need some time to let the events of the past few weeks sink in, Froelich said.

But despite this unexpected difficulty, Froelich remains optimistic that another door will open somewhere.

"You can't look back at it," she said. "I know I did the best I could. That's another chapter in my life, and I'm not giving up yet."