Iconic restaurant and Denny’s rival abruptly closes after decades in business leaving community devastated

ANOTHER iconic restaurant has had to close its doors despite being loved by locals and having been in business for more than ten years.

The Bayside Diner, a New York-based competitor of Denny’s, has announced that March 28 was its last day of service.

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The restaurant’s owners said the closure came after months of struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation.

“It is with a heavy heart that we are closing the Bayside Diner after decades of service to the community,” the owners wrote in a note posted on the diner’s front door on Tuesday.

“It has been an absolute privilege to serve the Bayside community over these many years, and we will never forget the love and support our customers and employees have shown us,” the note continued.

While the restaurant could no longer support itself, the owners took the opportunity to encourage former customers to look for other small businesses to support.

“It is a very difficult time for us [employees]’ Angela Cespe, former Bayside Diner employee, told QNS.

“We were a family and we lost our jobs,” said the waitress, who worked at the house for more than 10 years.

“We wouldn’t have been there without you. Most of our guests were also like family and came in daily to eat and chat. Thank you again,” she added.

Cespe is joined by a multitude of loyal guests who mourn the loss to the community.

“I’m very upset,” a Bayside resident wrote on Facebook. “Not only have we been going there for years, but our American Legion has long had lunches there every Memorial Day and Veterans Day after the service at the memorial.”

The restaurant, which reopened under new ownership in 2010, originally served the community as the Copper Penny Diner for over 60 years.

The cherished restaurant’s long history may have ended this week, but it will long be remembered by Bayside residents.