After opening with much fanfare in 2002, the Lake Effect Diner closed its doors Sunday while the owner of the 24-hour eatery near the University at Buffalo South campus reevaluates how the diner will be run.

The diner at 3165 Main St. opened after being hauled from Philadelphia and refurbished to its 1950’s appearance by owner Tucker Curtin.

“The restaurant was doing good, but good isn’t good enough. I want outstanding,” Curtin said. “Right now we have some down time, and we want to take this opportunity to stop for a minute and work things out.”

Curtin is looking into finding a new chef and assembling a new staff.

“I am hoping to have it open within the next few weeks. I hope to make this a temporary close. It’s a great place and was a great project finding the 54,000-pound diner, bringing it to Buffalo and restoring it,” Curtin said.

Curtin was able to place the remaining employees of the Lake Effect Diner at his other two restaurants, The Steer Restaurant and Saloon, next door, and Dug’s Dive at the Buffalo Small Boat Harbor.

If he reopens the Lake Effect Diner, Curtin doubts it will be open 24 hours a day.

“I want to concentrate on doing what we do best; breakfast, lunch and dinner. If we can build a solid foundation, then I might revisit the idea of going 24 hours again,” Curtin said.

“The Lake Effect Diner is a great facility and we can do something great with it. It’s a great piece of Americana. I just need to step back and work with it.”

At the Small Boat Harbor, Curtin won the bid from the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to operate the former Slip Away. Curtin said he is embracing Buffalo’s history by calling it Dug’s Dive. In the late 1800’s William Douglas, a former slave, opened up a restaurant and boarding house along the Erie Canal, which came to be known as “Dug’s Dive.”

The restaurant wasn’t called a “dive” because of its customers or food quality. To access the restaurant, a person would have to “dive” down a steep and slippery staircase.

Curtin said he wants to make Dug’s Dive a destination where people can dine all year long, instead of seasonally, and give people a reason to come down to the waterfront.

“There is an amazing view down here and this is a unique opportunity to do something great,” Curtin said.

Originally published online here: http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/101859.html