Southside Restaurant sold

Southside Family Restaurant has been sold to the owners of Smokin' Buckeye BBQ in Carey. The deal closes Friday. The new owners, John and Diane Coulston, are moving their restaurant from Carey to the Findlay location, at 3050 S. Main St. "A lot of my customers are from Findlay," Diane Coulston said. "They want us over here bad." The seller, Joyce Gossard, 60, who has owned Southside Family Restaurant since 2013, is ready to spend more time with family, especially her grandchildren. Gossard formerly owned Lucky's Tavern from about 1998 to 2006. She started at Southside in 2007 as a waitress. She then became a manager before eventually buying the business. "I'll miss the people," Gossard said of selling the business. Diane Coulston said the transition from Southside Restaurant to Smokin' Buckeye BBQ will be a gradual one. The Coulstons will add beer and wine to the menu. "We are going to take this over as her (Gossard's) place for a while until we get everything done that we want to do, some remodeling, and get people hired," Diane Coulston said. "As we go, we're going to integrate our barbecue in," she said. "It's a lot of work to do barbecue," Diane Coulston said. "The smoking process of pork and brisket is 24 hours. You've got to get a rhythm going on how you're going to do everything." One thing that will stay on the menu even after the transition, Coulston said: breakfast. Wilin: 419-427-8413 louwilin@thecourier.com