April 1, 2008
The Cheyenne, One of the Last Vintage Diners, to Close
New York has lost another vintage factory built diner: The Cheyenne, a popular all night eatery near Penn Station, will close its doors on Sunday after 68 years of operation. And the owner of a rival diner – the bigger Skylight Diner nearby – is to blame. Skylight owner George Papas also owns the narrow 20-by-100 foot site the Cheyenne currently occupies and he plans to build a nine-story apartment building on the property. Forgotten-NY’s Kevin Walsh tells us the days of the one-story, stand-alone diner are almost over:
Unfortunately the reality is that Manhattan’s becoming so pricey that you just can’t sustain these diners no matter how good business is. I was in the Cheyenne a couple weeks ago at lunchtime and it was packed, but the owner of the property feels he can make a lot more money on that spot by building a multi-story building and having a lot of tenants. I’ve been to the Skylight around the corner a couple times and it’s an inferior diner to the Cheyenne; the food is not as good nor is the atmosphere as good as the Cheyenne.
Cheyenne owner Spiros Kasimis may try to reopen the diner at another location, a move that worked (sort of) for the vintage Moondance Diner after it closed on 6th Avenue and Broome Street; it relocated to Wyoming when a couple bought it for $7,500. Daniel Zilka, director of the American Diner Museum, says he’s been talking with Kasimis about a similar option. Michael Perlman, who started the Committee To Save The Moondance Diner, plans to launch a similar campaign for the Cheyenne, according to amNY.
The number of remaining prefabricated diners in Manhattan include the Empire Diner in Chelsea, Tribeca’s Square Diner, and the Pearl Diner in lower Manhattan. The Market Diner in Hell’s Kitchen, circa 1960, closed two years ago but is expected to reopen this summer. And the ‘40s-era Munson diner on 11th Avenue and 49th Street – used as an exterior for the plan-B Seinfeld diner “Reggies” – closed in 2004 but has since moved on up to the Catskills.
Photo: triborough.
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There's another one-story diner on the UWS that's just gone out of business to make way for another high-rise eyesore. The Strand on 96th street between Broadway and Amsterdam is gone with a sign in the window saying that the building is going to be torn down.
Now, don't get me wrong, this is no great culinary disaster. The Strand was a crappy diner. But losing it to development really bites. Another neighborhood one-story diner on the corner of Columbus and 97th closed last year to make way for a massive development that's been featured here on Gothamist for a construction accident that threatened the foundation of a nearby apartment building.
This sucks.
I used to know some Amtrak conductors who liked the place partly because it had decent food and was open all the time and they did take out.
It is also a great place to grab lunch after visiting B&H across the street.
Well that's good. What the city really needs is more luxury condos and fewer buildings that have some semblance of character or personality.
The only thing that didn't shock me about this story is that the Dolan's aren't tearing the Cheyenne down in an attempt to build a new MSG on the sliver lot.
Whilst the owner of the Skylight is within his rights if he legally owns the plot... you can't help be cynically wonder if it's a two-pronged attack:
Generate more income by putting up a boring apartment building and put your main competition out of business with the same pen stroke.
Hopefully they can move the Cheyenne so it'll survive even if in another place... the diner is so pleasing to the eye and it's even been featured in a orange juice advert here in the UK.
In addition to that, if it is rescued I hope the ending is a bit more upbeat then that of the Moondance.
the owner of the property feels he can make a lot more money on that spot by building a multi-story building and having a lot of tenants.
Really, this isn't too hard to understand. Build a multistory building and sell a bunch of apartments for $1M each (or rent them for $4000/month) or work your butt off running a kitchen that makes $15 a head before expenses. Faced with those options, who wouldn't sell out?
Too bad that they can't just build over it, but I guess the new tenants would prefer to live over a well-appointed first floor lobby and not a diner.
They should take the Cheyenne and move it into the Empire Diner's spot. That restaurant has great vintage charm but the service is awful.
New York is being killed by the greed of it's own people. All these places are disappearing because of landowners looking for more money, and the only ones who can afford the skyrocketing rents are corporations or those who are already incredibly rich, not small businesses. Its like watching someone you love being slowly consumed by a fatal disease, although it's happening faster and faster these days. So sad.
Ironic that this diner is disappearing at the same time that the City Council just approved pricing lower income drivers off the streets.
New York is letting go small mom and pop shops that made NY the way it is.
and its not only this, there are many places loosing it low skyline.
Sigh, The Cheyenne. I haven't been there since high school but MAN OH MAN their burgers were delicious. I spent many hours there.
Oh man...I'm so depressed. All the things that are (were) fun and funky in NY are disappearing. Such a shame greed is killing the city's personality.