Rumor has it that the sale fell through due to other reasons than the plague, but since I have not talked to the actual parties I won't spread it further here.
It would take a very special type of person to own the Lilly. You need to be willing to work hard; live in the actual middle of nowhere (unless you want to spend a lot of money and time on commuting); be a stickler for history; be willing to keep certain things EXACTLY as they have always been or risk the wrath of all the customers (be very careful with the menu, especially); be willing to work with old-fashioned technology; and be ready to live with a feast-or-famine type of business climate.
On the plus side, you would own the only place to eat, drink or sleep in a 50 mile radius; you would be serving some of the most hard-working, down-to-earth people on the planet, plus a lot of very loyal repeat-customer travelers; you could set your own schedule and be your own boss; you would enjoy the absolute best version of "peace and quiet" you would find anywhere; you would never need to worry a single bit about hordes of rude tourists, riots, looters or protests; and you would have the fulfillment of preserving a well-loved bit of Americana.
I wish them luck finding somebody, but oh boy it's going to be tough in this day and age. I thought it was pretty miraculous when the current owners took it over 10 years ago.
[Edited by Forsyth Mike (8/14/2020 1:19:31 PM)]
[Edited by Forsyth Mike (8/14/2020 1:19:47 PM)]