By SANDY McGEE

BELLINGHAM — Hard economic times have caused another longstanding restaurant and fixture of the Blackstone Valley to shut its doors.

Ma Glockner’s Restaurant, believed to be one of the oldest restaurants in the region, closed last week after more than 70 years of operation.
“It’s a shame,” said the restaurant’s owner, Chris Ballarino. “It (Ma Glockner’s) has been here forever. It was an institution. Everyone came from all over for the chicken and cinnamon rolls.”
Located at 151 Maple St., the family owned and operated restaurant was known throughout the area for its berched half-chicken dinners with special seasoning, which was served with french fries and cinnamon rolls.
“In 1937, this dinner cost 50 cents per person,” according to the restaurant’s Web site. “On the weekends, there could have been a two hour long line waiting to get this famous chicken dinner.”
Ma’s famous poultry recipe was even featured on the WSBK food critic show, “The Phantom Gourmet,” as well as praised in the “Phantom Gourmet Guide to Boston’s Best Restaurants,” which was published by Macmillan in 2006. Within the guide, the “Phantom” describes the restaurant’s mainstay chicken dinner as “at the top of the coop.”
Now, with the rising cost of food and fuel, Ma Glockner’s owner says he can longer serve the famous poultry dish. 
“Expenses just got out of control,” Ballarino said. “Food and utilities just keep going up and up. You can’t charge $15 for a hamburger or $20 for a chicken dinner. Six months ago, flour went from $12 to $40 in one week. Obviously, I can’t charge $5 for a cinnamon roll.”
Ballarino, a Bellingham resident and native of Franklin, said that the price to heat and light the historic building on Maple Street has also added up.
“It’s not just food costs,” he said. “My last electric bill was $7,000. It’s out of control. The building is so big and so old that the utilities are killer.”
The restaurant’s building, which once served as a house for the Glockner family, is believed to be more than 70 years old.
Ma Glockner first opened the restaurant on Thanksgiving Day in 1937. After “Ma” died in 1968, her three sons continued the family business until selling Ma Glockner’s to the Blais family in 1971. The Blais family ran the Bellingham institution until 1996.
Ballarino purchased Ma Glockner’s in November 1996 and reopened in February 1997, closing for the winter months. “We always closed for the winter time,” he said.
In 1937, the eatery’s single room sat only 50 people. Today, the interior has expanded to accommodate more than 400 individuals.
Ma Glockner’s also expanded its menu to include a litany of dishes, including panini sandwiches, gourmet char-grilled pizza, baked stuffed shrimp, boneless pork chops, Cajun onion strips, Philly cheese steak egg rolls and more.
The restaurant’s interior featured a dining room, a cocktail lounge with screened in porch, Keno, a popcorn machine, video golf and a jukebox. About 25 to 30 people were employees of the restaurant prior to the closing.
Ballarino, a town resident for the past 12 years, said he would continue to keep open his second business, the Route One Cinema Pub in North Attleboro.
Ma Glockner’s building and four acres of land is currently for sale.
“It’s very sad,” said Town Clerk Ann Odabashian about the closing. “It’s a landmark in the town of Bellingham. My family from western Massachusetts had heard about the restaurant. It’s very sad. In these trouble times, it’s very hard for people and businesses are suffering.”
Odabashian, a town resident for 30 years and former member of the Board of Selectmen, previously owned Ann’s Lakeview Restaurant.
“The restaurant business is the worst business you could own in a bad economy,” Odabashian said. “In this economy, it’s very difficult for people to survive. It’s not just restaurants. We (Bellingham) lost Schafer’s Garden Center. And, this is only in our community.”
In July, the Cocke ‘n Kettle Restaurant on South Main Street in Uxbridge closed its doors after nearly 40 years of operation. A banner posted outside the Uxbridge restaurant stated that “due to the economy and general business conditions, the restaurant has been forced to close its operation.”
A little more than a week after the Cocke ‘n Kettle’s closing, Wetherlaine’s in Woonsocket, formerly Box Seats, announced that it was shutting its doors. Wetherlaine’s General Manager Joe Costa also cited an economic downturn as the cause.