Painesville’s historic Rider’s Inn is telling members of the public to “stay tuned” as questions about the restaurant’s future spread on Facebook. The questions came as the restaurant listed no events on its Facebook page after Dec. 28, changed its Facebook profile picture to “stay tuned” on Jan. 2 and had the restaurant’s sign covered as of mid-January. While the restaurant was listed as “permanently closed” on Google in mid-January, it was not clear if that listing was accurate. The restaurant did not make any announcement about permanently closing. Some Facebook comments from the public indicated that the restaurant would only be temporarily closed, but no official announcement or confirmation was found. The restaurant publicly posted to its “Rider’s Inn Since 1812” Facebook page in early January that it would not respond to private messages or questions posted to Facebook, repeating its call for people to “stay tuned.” A text message was sent on Jan. 14 to a phone number listed on a company page. The message was delivered but unanswered. The restaurant last posted a performance livestream to its Facebook page on Dec. 28. Rider’s Inn is located at 792 Mentor Ave. in Painesville. As was reported in late 2023, records from former owner Elaine Crane indicated that a resident named Joseph Rider opened the restaurant in 1812. Rider originally came to the area from Connecticut. Crane acquired the restaurant in a 1988 auction and operated it from 1989 to 2023. She sold the business to Kaela Alex that year, though Crane continued to own the land. The restaurant now posts to its “Riders Inn Since 1812” Facebook page. The previous “Rider’s Inn” page has been inactive since May 2024.