By Ron Dylewski | TheAmericanRoadside.com | March 25, 2007

Williston, VT
The doors of the Parkway Diner closed on Sunday. The grills were left to cool. The coffee pots were turned off. But the story of this landmark diner doesn't stop there.

When TheAmerican Roadside first reported on the diner's potential closing in early January of this year, the fate of the 50's era Worcester Lunch Car was unknown. However, according to a published report in the Burlington Free Press, the son of the original owner will soon be taking over operations.

Free Press Reporter Melissa Pasanen wrote a short piece on the diner's survival that ran in Thursday's edition of the paper. Today, a more in-depth article was published:

"On the grill this morning, French toast sizzled alongside sausage patties, emitting that heavy, distinct diner smell.

It mixed in the air with chatter, the sound of silverware clinking on plates, coffee being poured and the opening and closing of the front door — every 30 seconds or so.

Customers at the Parkway Diner turned out in droves and took it all in, for today marks the end of an era: George and Christine Alvanos, and their son Evan are preparing to close a chapter in their 10-year run as owners of the iconic diner on Williston Avenue at the end of the day. It’s not entirely clear why the Alvanoses are moving on to expand their other business, the Pine Street Deli, but George Hatgen, who owns the property, said his son Peter will reopen the diner on April 1. Peter Hatgen could not be reached for comment.

As the last of the Alvanoses’ eggs, potatoes, pancakes and meats filled the bellies of the Parkway’s loyal customers today, regulars and newcomers sang the praises of the seven-booth, 20-counter seat Worcester diner.

“This is the best place on earth,” Pat Teehan of Jericho said, sitting atop a maroon and silver barstool, arms propped up on the counter and picking the last of a piece of sausage off of a nearby plate. “I finished my food and I’m eating my neighbors’.”

At one time, Teehan was a regular, he said, and when he heard the Parkway Diner was closing, he had to get a last meal in with his buddies. Which meal will he miss the most? “Breakfast Maximus:” two eggs, two pancakes, choice of meat, coffee and toast. “It’s great hangover food,” he said.

Teehan brought along first-timer Anthony Locicero of Huntington, so he could get a taste of the locally famous chat and chew.

“It’s a nice, old-style diner,” Locicero said. “The place looks so cool. It’s a period piece.” v Christine Alvanos in a recent interview declined to go into detail about why they’re moving on, but said that she and her husband are going to miss the camaraderie.

“We’ve gotten to know a lot of friends, and I have one family that I’ve gone through three births. And they keep coming in. Maybe we’ll go for a fourth one down here and they’ll bring them to the Pine Street Deli.”

Alvanos said every day, there’s a crew that comes every hour. “There are a lot of regulars who come there every day. We’ve gotten to know exactly what they’re going to eat.”

She added that her staff has been extraordinary.

“We really want to thank all our customers, all our supporters, our staff,” she said.

Some “regulars” come from as far as out of state, as was the case this morning. Natick, Mass., residents Ed Collins, and his two daughters, Sara and Courtney, go to the Parkway every time Ed and Sara visit Courtney, who is a University of Vermont student. Standing outside and waiting for a booth in the packed restaurant around 10:45 a.m., the three were shocked to learn the Parkway was closing.

“I’m bummed,” Courtney Collins said, “we almost went to Libby’s,” referring to Libby’s Blue Line Diner in Colchester.

Ed Collins lamented the loss of another independent restaurant. “Nowadays, everything is so commercialized. Here, they serve you your fries with a spoon. At the chain restaurants, everything is perfect 3-ounce measurements. You get your eggs the way you used to. It’s like getting a real breakfast. And the waitresses are really nice, they don’t seem fake.”

Courtney Collins agreed.

“We came here on Halloween and they were all dressed up. They’re so spirited here. They treat us so well, they’re like aunts.”

Burlington Free Press story originally published here: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070325/NEWS01/70325001/1009