Michaels on the Hill shutters after two decades
April 16, 2026 | By Sarah Andrews
Michael's on the Hill restaurant has closed and the property is now for sale. File photo by Gordon Miller
Michaels on the Hill, the fine-dining restaurant perched high along Vermont Route 100 in Waterbury Center, has closed its doors after over 20 years.
The restaurant was renowned for its upscale, European-inspired cuisine, featuring local ingredients and Vermont flavors.
In a letter to patrons shared on its website and in an email newsletter late last week, Michael’s owners Don Jones and Andrew Kohn announced that after years of financial hurdles and market pressures, they have ceased operations.
“This decision did not come lightly, as we have worked for months and months to keep the restaurant financially afloat,” they said.
Jones and Kohn purchased the restaurant from the original owner-operators back in 2023. Since then, they write, it has been a series of financial struggles.
In their letter, Jones and Kohn cite a “challenging economic and tourism landscape” as well as high housing costs for staff as contributing factors to the untimely closure.
“The lack of affordable housing for staff and the high cost of quality labor in Vermont at present have also contributed to the challenges to doing business here,” they write.
The restaurant closure comes as a housing shortage for local workers is a familiar challenge for business owners throughout Waterbury.
Revitalizing Waterbury, the local nonprofit community and economic development organization, is looking to address that hurdle. It recently launched a Workforce Housing Survey that seeks to poll employers about their housing needs. RW aims to gather data on the pressures facing local businesses and their employees.
The first round of surveying began at the end of March and closed last week, with 284 responses from local businesses. Surveying will continue through the summer, as the organization hopes for a large sample from the community, said RW’s economic development coordinator Gretchen Schissel. Businesses interested in participating can contact Schissel at gretchen@revitalizingwaterbury.org.
Now that Michael’s has served its last meals, the historic, nearly 4,400 square-foot farmhouse built in 1900 is up for sale. The 4-acre property on Waterbury-Stowe Road is listed for $1,299,000, with Stowe agent McKee MacDonald.
Meanwhile, Jones and Kohn continue to own and operate the Brass Lantern Inn in Stowe, a historic bed and breakfast that the couple purchased in 2022.