When patrons of Jean’s Restaurant would ask longtime owner Jean Bullock when she would retire, she would wittingly answer, “I guess when they roll me out on the stretcher to the cemetery.”

But when a health problem began to progress, Bullock — fearing her words might come back to haunt her — decided it was time for her to “get out of the kitchen.”

“It’s not what I want to do; it’s just what I’ve got to do,” she said.

On Wednesday, after 31 years, Bullock greeted customers of the popular downtown restaurant for the last time as owner.

“I’ll still be around, and I’ll visit with the customers,” she said. “I just won’t be boss.”

That title and the restaurant now belong to Diane Trammell, who has been a waitress there for 14 years.

“We want our customers to know nothing will change; everything will be the same,” said Trammell, whose ownership of the restaurant is the fulfillment of a longtime dream.

“We want to maintain that same flavor. Why mess up a good thing?” Trammell said.

Bullock said when she opened Jean’s, her goal was to provide customers good home cooking in a friendly atmosphere. And though the restaurant has no specialty, customers have their favorites.

“They serve a lot of vegetables, which I like, and I love their coffee,” said Dot Slayton, who eats lunch at the Front Street restaurant nearly every day.

Fred Rogers, who has frequented the restaurant for the past 25 years, said he doesn’t have a favorite dish.

“Everything is good,” Rogers said. “It’s home-cooking, and it’s all good.”

Bullock said in addition to a hard-working and dedicated staff, the restaurant’s success can be attributed to its faithful customers.

“It just kept growing and growing, I think, because everybody wanted to see it be successful,” she said.

As business steadily increased over the years, Bullock never thought of moving the restaurant.

“We opened the room next door after the first five years, and then 10 years later we opened the other area,” she said. “And we had to expand the kitchen area so we could add air-condition.”

Though she will miss her customers and employees, Bullock has no doubts the restaurant will continue to be successful.

“I trained Diane,” she said. “She knows the customers, and she knows the business. I know she’s going to do really well.”

Trammell said she will continue to depend on Bullock.

“I know I’ll need her words of wisdom, and I’ll look to her for advice,” she said.

Bullock plans to spend more time with family, especially her six grandchildren and a great-grandchild.