Lynbrook Diner, open since 1929, closes

In a familiar refrain, Long Island has one less diner. The Lynbrook Diner, which first began operation in 1929 and was one of the island's oldest, closed this week.

Owner Nick Mavromihalis posted a sign in the diner's window explaining that the diner, at 401 Sunrise Hwy., had been sold and closed for good on Tuesday.

Mavromihalis has owned and operated the diner since 1985, except for a few months after a January 2014 fire when it was closed.

"We regret to announce that due to unforeseen factors we were forced to close our doors today," said the Wednesday note. Another note indicated Mavromihalis had entered retirement.

Mavromihalis did not return a call for comment. Under the company names 401 Realty Corp. and 401 Sunrise Corp., the diner was sold in February for $750,000 during Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The new owner of the property is Vemen Management Corp. of Astoria, Queens. The company was not reachable for comment.

Susan Kelly of Lynbrook was a longtime customer. "We took our kids to the Lynbrook Diner every Christmas Eve morning. It was a tradition of ours we began after moving to Lynbrook 12 years ago," said Kelly. "They took good care of my family. We manage food allergies and other dietary restrictions. We will miss this friendly place, and our Christmas tradition."

As of January 2019, there were about 100 diners in Nassau and Suffolk counties, according to Newsday's recent project on diners. Long Island still has one of the largest concentrations in the country, according to diner expert Richard J.S. Gutman, but about 40 fewer than there were in 1990, according to Newsday data.