New Haven, CT
Down, but not necessarily out. The grill is hot and the coffee is fresh at Mo Ali's diner this morning. But his heart was across town. His other diner has closed and is ready to be moved from the lot it's occupied for more than 50 years.

"Sure, I feel bad, but what can you do? Money gotta talk now," Ali, owner or Forbes Diner, said. Money from a Dunkin Donuts franchise. Mo says he had to accept their offer after years of struggling to keep Forbes going with slow business and high overhead costs. He laid off all his employees except for veteran waitress Bernadette Vella. "She's worked in both diners for more than 15 years," Vella said.

"The Forbes Diner really kinda like warms your hearts," Vella said. "You know what I mean? People from all over Connecticut have stopped there. We've had truck drivers, bus drivers. It's been really good in the past."

Forbes is one of two historic New Haven diners who has closed their doors in the last two weeks. The other is the Yankee Doodle. They recently closed their doors because of economic hard times.

There has been a huge outpouring of support to reopen the Doodle, while owner Rick Beckwith decides whether to revive the business. Many people are still holding out hope.

"I think it's a dark omen of the time to a certain extent," Matthew Strother, a Yale senior, said. "And I used to joke with my friends all truths were contained in the Yankee Doodle."

"It's just really sad to see the demise of individually owned diners in New Haven," Mire Foley, a Yale student, said. In the meantime, Mo is hoping to find a new place in New Haven to locate Forbes diner and to hear the sound of his customers again.

Mo says that he will put the actual diner on a piece of land behind his second eatery, temporarily, while he continues his search. If you'd like to help, you can contact him at the New Star Diner at 203.562.5582.

Originally published online here: http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=7826596