Originally Published: 15 NOV 21 13:45 ET

By Megan Scarano, Kiera Humes

JACKSONVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) -- The Ark Drive-in in Onslow County served people in the community for 60 years and served its last customer on Saturday, November 13.

The Ark was known for its world-famous hushpuppies.

Staff at the restaurant said due to the pandemic, labor shortages, and inflation, it became hard for the restaurant's owners to run the business.

Tiffany Sanderson worked at the Ark for 14 years. She believes the legacy of the restaurant will live on forever.

"It's going to be missed. We are going to miss it. I can't even imagine. The community is going to miss it terribly. One lady even said it was going to ruin Onslow county," Sanderson credited loyal customers for the support they showed the restaurants for the past 60 years.

The Ark closed for good at 4 pm Saturday.