Joe Jr. Greases Its Last Spoon

It seems that a passionate petition drive and an eleventh hour overture from the landlord weren't enough to save Joe Jr., the classic greasy spoon that's been a Greenwich Village institution for more than three decades. The coffee shop was packed with diners this weekend; among them was blogger Vanishing New York, who overheard one customer declare, "The landlord is a greedy prick." The petition on the counter read, "Joe's is our kitchen, our meeting place, our hangout, our comfort food. Our neighborhood will lose a treasure should it shut down this weekend." 65-year-old owner Teddy Hondros's lease had expired at the end of June, and it appears that a dispute with the landlord over who should pay the cost of repairs from a basement electrical fire were a major factor in the closure. Lost City was probably the last blogger to dine there yesterday, and reports a line stretching outside the restaurant: "I don't know about you, but I've never seen a line outside a greasy spoon before... That such a quintessentially American business should on July 4th is bitterly ironic." He says the doors were locked for the final time at 3 p.m., and our calls to Joe Jr.'s today are going unanswered.