Neptune Diner in Astoria closed its doors after 40 years in business.
"I think it's going to be a loss to the neighborhood," said customer Nicholas DiVittorio. "Good food, good people who serve you, fair prices."
Since 1983, The Katsihtis brothers have owned the building on Astoria Boulevard but not the land, which was sold in 2018 for over $10 million.
The brothers also had a 35-year lease which expired in 2019. But since then, they were not able to come to a long-term agreement with the landlord.
"We didn't get a lease, so we have to leave by the first of August," said Neptune Diner's Michael Savidis.
Savidis acknowledged the plan is for a residential development to be built in the same spot where the diner stands, but that doesn't sit right with many who have celebrated so many milestones there.
"I remember, four, five years old when I started having real memories, coming here," added DiVittorio. "Now it's the end of an era."
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