The exterior of Bendix Diner on Friday December 3, 2021. Bendix Diner
Syndication: The Record
(Hasbrouck Heights, NJ) — An iconic New Jersey diner that’s been closed since January is getting a new lease on life.
The Bendix Diner, which had operated for eight decades in Hasbrouck Heights, was shut down abruptly last January because of fire and health code violations. But when Peter Meskouris bought the restaurant last month for two-and-a-half-million-dollars he had a rescue plan in mind.
Meskouris, who owns the Jackson Hole diners in Englewood and Queens, is pouring big bucks into renovating the Bendix Diner. He hasn’t said when it’ll reopen but renovations are already underway. He plans to remove the structure from its foundation, put it elsewhere on the property, and create a new foundation to last another hundred years. The diner actually comes in two pieces.
Meskouris said he will restore everything in the classic 1950’s diner, including the neon and stainless steel fixtures. “That diner is unique,” he said. “We’re going to save it.”He estimated that it could take eight months to a year to reopen it.
Nearly anyone who’s traveled through Bergen County has seen the Bendix, located at the crux of busy Route 17 and Williams Avenue in Hasbrouck Heights. During the day, truckers often filled the wide lot in front.
He said he’ll keep the name, but it may be altered to “Bendix Diner By Jackson Hole.”
