AT 91 and 87, Joseph and Anthony Nardozzi have been going to the Thru-way Diner longer than they can remember.

At least four days a week, they eat breakfast there. Sometimes, it is just toast with coffee. Other mornings, a short stack or perhaps eggs over lightly, to mix things up. Sometimes, they even come back in the afternoon.

But their days at the diner appear to be numbered. The owners, Donna Z. Vaccari and Joanne Zappavigna, sisters in a family of diner owners, have decided to close the Thru-way’s doors, and Walgreens is planning to open a 9,560-square-foot store in its place.

“Personally, I don’t like it,” said Joseph Nardozzi, as he arrived for breakfast with his brother one morning recently, both in Yankee caps. “We made a lot of friends here.”

He is not alone.

More than 5,000 people have signed a petition to Save the Thru-way Diner, a Facebook site with hundreds of members has been organized to protest the closing, and community groups have appealed for reason.

“I’ve been getting calls from all over the country,” said Barbara Davis, the city’s acting historian. “Grown men have called saying they cried when they heard the news.”

Contrary to what you might have heard, the hum of conversation, the clash of cutlery and the steamy fragrance of fresh coffee haven't filled the Munson Diner in Liberty just yet.

Entrepreneurs Fred LaGutta of Liberty and Tom Russell of North Branch still had a few glitches to work out: The regulator for the cooking gas wasn't working properly, and they need final clearance from a village official who was on vacation, minor stuff, according to LaGutta.

Two years ago, private investors spent more than $300,000 to lug the Munson Diner from 49th Street and 11th Avenue in Manhattan, where Jerry, Elaine and Kramer used to kibbitz, to Lake Street in Liberty, where it lost all signs of life.

Then, LaGutta and Russell made the owners an offer: Give us building materials and a lease with option to buy. We will contribute the labor and do the renovations.

Last week, LaGutta said he expects to hold a "soft" opening, "maybe (tomorrow) or Tuesday," and a grand opening soon after. The diner will be open from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week, with a full menu. Call 292-1144 for information.

The Shrewsbury diner formerly known as Edgemere is on track to reopen as early as January, and town officials are hoping its new owner,

David Kupstas, can save it after years of neglect.

"It needs a good amount of work," Kupstas told selectmen Monday night. "It needs a lot of cleaning, a lot of elbow grease."

Under its new name, the Edge diner on Route 20 will serve only lunch initially, said Kupstas, who plans to add breakfast and dinner as soon as he can.

"Some of us like breakfast," said Maurice DePalo, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, who joined his colleagues in offering encouragement to Kupstas.

Selectmen voted unanimously to approve a food license as well as the contract for Kupstas to take over the town-owned property; he is paying $5,000 for the diner and $1,500 monthly to lease the land it sits on. Selectmen approved the license for seven days a week with hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Smiling, Town Manager Dan Morgado said he would cash the $5,000 check immediately. The first lease payment is due Saturday.

The diner has been vacant for more than two years, and it shows. Weeds are growing around the faded exterior. In some places, paint that was once bright red has washed out to a dull pink. A well-worn sign still reads "Lunch Special" and "Breakfast." Yet, peering through the windows, you can see the classic steel-trimmed stools guarding the requisite counter, where customers used to order a "Beat the House," a plate full of eggs, sausage, and home fries.

Thanksgiving Day marks the reopening of Syracuse's Little Gem Diner. The doors open at 6am. "Doc Good" says the Little Gem has always been a place for people who don't have a family to gather together and celebrate the holiday.

The Little Gem shutdown in September after a smoldering cigarette left outside the diner, started a fire. Doc fixed up the siding, made some adjustments inside and is now ready to reopen.

The Little Gem opens Thanksgiving Day at 6am.

After several delays, the Coffee Cup restaurant is expected to reopen Tuesday morning at its new uptown location.

The Coffee Cup became the city's first integrated restaurant in 1968. The owners fought plans to demolish the original building on South Clarkson Street for months and were successful in having the diner named a historic landmark.

Owners closed the doors there last month and have signed a 10-year lease at their new home at 301 South McDowell Street.

By Scott Stafford | Berkshire Eagle | Nov. 18/2007

Adams, MA
An old-time, pre-fabricated diner that has been operated as such since the 1920s recently set sail on a new course as a seafood restaurant called the Captain's Tavern.

At the helm is a veteran seafood chef, who piloted the galley at the popular Captain's Table in Williamstown for 18 years.

Restaurateur Jae Chung still owns the restaurant, and he worked closely with new manager/chef Randy Beaudoin to finalize the concept, decor and menu. Chung said the total investment in renovations and new equipment totaled less than $10,000.

"Jae made a real good decision about doing this," Beaudoin said. "And we really got rid of the diner feel, as much as you can and still be in the same building."

The building began as "Worcester Lunch Car No. 821." It was moved to Adams in December 1949 and is one of few remaining pre-fab diners in the area.

The Miss Adams Diner closed in late July. Since then, maritime artifacts were installed and ocean fantasy scenes air brushed over the walls, and Jimmy Buffet songs piped throughout to accent the theme and menu of the new eatery.

The kitchen received a thorough cleaning and thousands of dollars in new kitchen equipment.

"It was an extensive remodeling job throughout," Beaudoin said.

He noted that some folks who miss the diner still mourn the loss.

Chung noted that its very difficult to make a profit in a diner without a lot of foot traffic.

"It's very hard to make a profit with a diner in a small town," he said. "And Adams needs more dinner places."

"Unfortunately it was not making it as a diner," Beaudoin said. "It was time for a change."

On a recent morning in Tony's Freehold Grill, Mike Burtt sat at the counter, a cup of coffee in front of him.

"I think this is the best place in town — best food, best coffee," said Burtt, a Freehold retiree who has patronized the downtown diner since his school days. "Service is great. Run into a lot of old-timers."

Both Burtt and the diner are 1947 models, each 60 years old this year.

On June 9, 1947, the prefabricated, metal diner manufactured by Jerry O'Mahony Inc. of Elizabeth was put in place, replacing a wood structure. The Iliadis family, now in its second generation of ownership, has modernized it over the years, but there is still plenty of the real deal.

Driving near "The Point," where Main Street and Broadway fork, motorists are welcomed by the vintage neon sign, with Freehold in red and Grill in green. Inside the diner, which seats 55 on 17 stools and in about a half-dozen booths, stainless steel walls and counters stand out, a ceiling mirror runs the length of the counter, and longtime short-order cook Alex Grigorieff, 74, grills eggs and burgers or makes sandwiches.

The grill sits behind the counter, in full view of customers. "That is an absolute novelty," said Tommy Iliadis, 49, who owns the diner his family has been involved with since 1953.

"Very rarely you see that. People love that. "It is nerve-racking people watching you, but it's fun."

Once a 24-hour diner, it has evolved over the years to a breakfast-to-dinner spot to the present opening for breakfast and closing mid-afternoon. Regulars dot the counter on most mornings.

Felton, DE
After nearly 60 years, Diamond State Drive-In Theater near Felton will close forever when it concludes the 2008 season, ending an era in Delaware.

Donald C. Brown Jr., co-operator of the drive-in, said the 8-acre property on the southbound side of U.S. 13 was transferred to the sons of Mildred and Albert Steele, who purchased it in 1949, after the death of Mr. Steele in July.

Mr. Brown said despite making an offer to purchase the land himself, Kenneth and Robert Steele have decided not to renew the lease which expires next year, and will instead clear the property in order to put it up for sale.

“The site will be cleared by 2009 and they’re putting it on the market for $1.2 million,” he said.

Kenneth Steele, who lives in Smyrna, confirmed that he and his brother will not be renewing the lease for the drive-in and will instead put the land up for sale.

“We hate to do this, but at this point I don’t see what we can do. We don’t have a lot of choices,” he said.

Mr. Steele admitted that money was a factor in their decision, but it’s not because of greed, he said.

“My brother and I are close to retirement age — we have to look out for our futures.

Roxanne Arsenault stretches out on the round, red velvet bed. "It's all about seduction," she says, eyeing the heart-shaped red whirlpool, ceiling mirror, chrome lights, fake fireplace and plastic plants.

But hers is a doomed love.

The 29-year-old artist, art history student, radio host, rapper and self-proclaimed champion of kitsch, booked the honeymoon suite for a long goodbye to the Motel Canada, a suburban Montreal landmark since 1960.

Roxane Arseneault, a grad student doing a thesis on kitsch Quebec culture, has started an online petition to save Motel Canada from demolition. One of the last themed motels in the Longueuil area, the Canada offered such rooms as the 'Lumberjack,' complete with log walls.

The 52-room motel checked out for good last Saturday after the last guests had departed.

The site has been sold and the new owner does not plan to operate the motel, a receptionist said. The owner declined to be interviewed.