Old-time diners fade away

Nicholas Hirshon, DAILY NEWS WRITER

The familiar names once beckoned customers across Queens on buzzing neon signs: the Bayside, the Fame, the Scobee and the Future.

The comfy atmosphere at these diners lured locals to their favorite booths, oversize menus and kitschy memorabilia on the walls.

Not anymore. Those four diners are among many to close in the borough in recent years - an indication, some fear, that the distinctive gathering spots are disappearing from Queens.

"Diners are such an important part of the Queens culture," said Jack Friedman of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. "It's where we grew up. ... Everything was based around the diner."

[Related: Shuttered Scobee diner auctions off wares ]

And it's not just diners. Locals worry the borough is losing traditional middle-class hangouts that once provided a sense of place.

Now in its second installment, the "Vanishing Vintage Queens" series is exploring the loss of communal spots such as ice cream parlors, movie houses and bowling alleys. Some feel the demise of those unofficial landmarks has diminished local civic pride.

Michael Engle, co-author of the 2008 book "Diners of New York," said the social lives of many residents seem to "die" after a local joint closes.

"They lose heart," he said. "Some of them just stay home, which unfortunately is a shame. They lose touch with their community."

The book's other co-author, Mario Monti, who grew up in Maspeth, said diners appeal to the masses since they "don't hustle you to get out."

But nowadays they struggle to survive. Among casualties last year were the Bayside, the Fame in Jamaica and the Scobee in Little Neck.

Also troubling to community groups is that many properties lie vacant for months after a diner closes - or turn into a generic chain.

A Hooters replaced the Future Diner, a popular date spot near the Fresh Meadows movie theater that closed in 2005.

That has left a nostalgia for the "comfort factor that went beyond the comfort food," said Richard Gutman, director of the Culinary Arts Museum in Rhode Island.

Experts trace the downfall of Queens diners in large part to a ravenous real estate market in which the typical diner plot - a sprawling structure with a parking lot - makes landlords salivate.

Deep-pocketed banks or chains are enthralled by the large square footage in dense New York City, offering a rent that most diners can't match. So when a diner's lease expires, the eatery's run may end, too.

Changing demographics have also played a role. Some Greek immigrants who opened diners are retiring and unable to persuade their children to run the business. And new immigrants don't feel attached to those diners as much.

[Related: 'Homey' feel relic of past]

In addition, national chains are poaching diner customers, while the health-conscious are shying away from generous portions, a diner staple.

"Stereotypical diner food is frowned on," said Michael Stern, a co-author of the "Roadfood" book series. "It's not stylish. It's not nutritious. It's too caloric."

And many Queens residents are now traveling out of their neighborhoods for a bite.

"You lose that kind of little small-scale ecology that living in a close, dense neighborhood gives you," said Queens borough historian Jack Eichenbaum.

Photos:
Top- Restaurateurs sought bargains at the 50-year-old Scobee Diner's going-out-of-business auction in December 2010. (Anderson/NYDN)

Bottom - The classic railway car-inspired Manhattan eatery, The Cheyenne Diner, is seen in this April 2, 2008 file photo in N.Y. It closed in April 2008, was sold, and moved to Birmingham, Ala., in February 2009. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)