Celebrating Our 27th Anniversary

Happy New Year, Sullivan’s family!

Well, you’re probably thinking, what in the world is he saying “Happy New Year” for — it’s February 2nd?

The reason I say that is because we opened our doors 27 years ago on February 1, 1999. So, yesterday was the beginning of our calendar year. 🙌

I still pinch myself and can’t believe that we’re still here — going strong and growing 27 years later. It’s truly a testament to God’s faithfulness in my life.

I'm in awe of how much has changed over the last 27 years. In 2009, I almost lost everything I owned during the Recession. From 2010–2019, my sweet Sabra battled cancer and went to be with our Lord. From 2021–2023, I almost died from a drug addiction.

But through all of that, one thing remained the same… Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill.

It’s such an incredible tribute to the faithfulness of our God and to my amazing staff — who I truly call family. I know I wouldn’t still be here if it weren’t for them and their commitment to our cause.

See, it’s never really been about the money to me. Sure, we all need to make a living. But it’s always been more about training girls to be women and boys to be men. And now, I’m seeing the fruit of that commitment. I’ve watched long-term team members grow into incredible adults and parents, and it truly warms my heart ❤️

I’ve always had a dream of creating an institution in our community, and honestly, for the first time in my life, I feel like I can say we’ve done that. How many people can say they’ve owned a business for that long? It’s a pretty short list.

The one thing I know for sure is this: none of it was my doing. It was ALL God’s — and made possible by the incredible support and patronage of our community and customers.

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all of your support. 🙏😭


OK… no more crying, Bill 😂
I just wanted to share a few things we’re working on this year:

We’ve removed our traditional fryer oil and are now using beef tallow for all of our frying. It’s a much healthier alternative, and on top of that, it makes the French fries, sweet potato chips, etc. taste even better.

Over the next 90 days, we have a goal to remove 98% of all seed oils from the restaurant. Let me share why…

For the past two years, I’ve struggled with chronic pain and inflammation. I did every test imaginable — rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disease; you name it. Eventually, I found an incredible nutritionist who ran extensive testing through urine, saliva, and hair. Honestly (no disrespect to doctors), it was the most comprehensive look at how my entire visceral system was functioning.

Through research, I discovered just how damaging seed oils are when it comes to inflammation. Do some research on your own, try removing them for 30 days, and tell me you don’t feel better.

So, with all of that being said, this is the direction I want to take our business moving forward. I want food to become food again — “they” are killing us! No matter what side of the political aisle you stand on, RFK has been talking about this for years, and I’m hopeful real changes will be made, especially around food.

We’ve all heard stories of people who struggle with gluten here in the U.S. yet go to Europe and have no issues at all. Why is it that in the United States of America, we have more access to gyms, supplements, and doctors — yet we’re one of the unhealthiest societies in the world?

Maybe it’s the food.

I want Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill to be part of the solution, not the problem. That doesn’t mean you can’t live — we’re known for our desserts 😉 — but we’re using real butter and real cream, and hopefully down the road, as costs allow, we’ll begin purchasing hormone-free chicken and other items.

Side note: We are licensed Braveheart Beef ™, which does not inject their cows with hormones. We’ll get there little by little.

Taking food and service to a completely new level — higher than we ever have before — is at the very top of the list. With all the craziness and hatred in the world, we want you to come to lunch for an hour or dinner for a couple of hours and forget about all that. We want you to be treated like kings and queens, even if it’s just for a little while.

That’s what our mission statement is all about:
“Creating great memories through excellence in food, service, and ambience.”

We are more committed to that mission today than we ever have been. And we may have a couple of other surprises coming soon that we’ll share with you very shortly 😉

That’s all for now… remember, always follow your dreams and never give up on your goals. I know I won’t.

With heartfelt gratitude,
Bill 😊❤️