It's been a fixture in Struthers for 85 years, known these days for its famous "hunky platter," but after getting passed down for generations the current owners are ready to retire. That means this is officially last call for Rip's Cafe.

Rip's Cafe, or "Rip's Restaurant" as it was originally called, opened in 1933 and was named after the owner, George "Rip" Repasky.

"It was primarily a mill bar," said owner Don Watt. "You knew everybody that came in every day. Guys came in on shift."

Just two years after it opened, George Repasky died at the bar; shot and killed in a robbery on payday for Youngstown Sheet and Tube.

"The banks would lend the bar's money so the banks wouldn't be very busy that day of cashing all the checks," said owner Marilyn Watt.  "He got shot in the leg and it was on my dad's 15th birthday. They didn't expect him to die, but it hit a main artery and he died."

The bar stayed in the family though, now owned by George's granddaughter, Marilyn, and her husband Don. Like the area, Rip's evolved over the years, moving to its current location in the 1950s and eventually developing a menu.

"We really didn't serve food at all until the 90s. We had one sandwich, maybe some pickled eggs, and that's when all the hunky food came in and that was because of the mill leaving and you had to keep the business going," said Don Watt.

Which is kind of funny, since these days the "Hunky Platter" is one of the best-known dishes in the Valley; 20-plus years of pigs in a blanket, pierogies, and halusky.

"My husband's sister was sitting there and she just said, 'Boy I'd like a little bit of this, a little bit of that,' and she says, 'And then you can call it the hunky platter.' Well, just thought, oh that would be good. Well, it just went off as the best thing we ever had," said Marilyn, who cooks the food herself fresh every morning.

So many have grown up on some of the meals here, and on the plus side, a lot of those recipes will live on. They're selling copies of a whole lot of them with one notable exception; the pork BBQ.

"My uncle paid like $300 for this recipe and everybody was like, what are you out of your mind? It was pulled pork, and pulled pork, when did it come into ... just about ten years ago? We've had it since 1948," said Marilyn Watt.

At some point this year, Rip's Cafe will close for good, taking with it 85 years worth of memories and one time-honored sandwich from a place that's served generations in Struthers.

You still have some time to go check it out; the building hasn't sold yet. The owners say they expect to be done, either way, by the end of the year.