Park Slope Staple Dizzy's Diner Closing After 22 Years
PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Iconic Park Slope hangout Dizzy's Diner has permanently closed its doors after financial troubles from the coronavirus crisis, owners announced.
"Deepest apologies to the neighborhood and the Community Dizzys will not be reopening," the diner wrote on Instagram last month. "We're sorry to be leaving and we hope that you remember all the great times that we've had together in the past 22 years."
The closure brings an end to the diner's 22-year run on the corner of Ninth Street and Eighth Avenue, where it served celebrities like U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and actor Steve Buscemi, according to the Brooklyn Paper.
Like many restaurants in New York City, the diner's decision came as bills piled up despite a months-long closure in the coronavirus crisis.
“I just didn’t see the balance of not being able to serve people inside,” owner Matthew Pisciotta told the Paper.“I knew what I needed to make every month to pay my expenses, and there was no way that was going to happen.”
Dizzy's first announced the closure on their Instagram in September, which was followed by letters posted on the shuttered storefront.
View this post on InstagramDeepest apologies to the neighborhood and the Community Dizzys will not be reopening we're sorry to be leaving and we hope that you remember all the great times that we've had together in the past 22 years. Our two famous portraits of our friend dizzy the pig are for sale to the highest bidder, please contact me through the website and I would love to see it go to a very happy happy home. Bid starts at $250 each mpisciotta@gmail.com I also wouls be happy to send tee shirts to anyone for $15 each. Ill post pictures of shirts and the other portrait soon. Peace
A post shared by Dizzy's Diner (@dizzysdiner) on Sep 9, 2020 at 7:03am PDT
Regulars were quick to mourn the neighborhood favorite.
"So many great memories there. You will be so, so missed," one customer wrote.
"Dizzy’s was a true gem and one of my very few restaurant go-to’s," said another. "Wishing you and the Dizzy’s family well in whatever’s next."
Dizzy's is among countless New York City spots that are under threat of closing as the financial strain of the coronavirus crisis takes its hold on the restaurant industry.
In Park Slope, fundraisers have been set up for several local bars struggling to keep their doors open. Across the five boroughs, nearly one in ten restaurants weren't able to pay their rent in July, according to a study.
Pisciotta also mourned the loss of his business, but said he's grateful for its two decades in the neighborhood.
“As devastating as it was to close it I’m very appreciative that I had it,” he told the Paper. “I couldn’t have asked for a better chapter in my life.”
This article originally appeared on the Park Slope Patch
