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Manhattan's Diner Graveyard

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[b]Cheyenne Diner:[/b] This diner has received a great deal of attention since its recent closing. It does indeed look like a new owner Mike McConnell has or will soon purchase this extra-long structure to install in a development planned for the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. Roadside sends its thanks to Michael Perlman, who acted as the point man on this rescue. Michael sent out the S.O.S. notices to the local media and to us. We, in turn, notified Steve Harwin of Diversified Diners, who almost immediately flew out to New York to take a look. Long story short, Steve exercised his right of first refusal, giving up the diner to McConnell in exchange for a role as a paid consultant on the restoration. No word yet on when the diner will move, but signs point to a happy ending here. [b]Terminal Diner/Lunch Box Diner:[/b] This remotely located late 1950s Kullman last operated as the Lunch Box Diner in what looked like a hopeful development. New people with fresh ideas sought to bring the diner into the twenty-first century. Alas, the concept didn't fly, and the diner closed up yet again. Since first publishing Roadside, the diner has endured several ownerships and names, including the Lost Diner and the Reel Diner, which had a dubious gimmick of allowing patrons to rent movies and watch them in their booths. Sadly, we found the diner's interior trashed and its counter completely removed and destroyed, with pieces of terrazzo laying in a pile outside the structure. In fact, it looked like someone had a destruction party inside, with shattered glass and dishes strewn all about. The future looks grim for this beauty, especially since its 17-foot-plus width would preclude movement through too many states. [b]Market Diner:[/b] This diner represents one of the happier bits of news on this front. Originally slated for removal to make way for still more luxury condos (we've never seen so much condo construction!), the diner instead has literally a new lease on life. We saw workmen in the diner, and Michael Perlman tells us that building permits call for the construction of a new wheelchair ramp. We hope to see this fabulous DeRaffele reopen before this summer. [b]West Market Diner:[/b] A rarity in any locale, this small Mountain View Diner sits cocooned within a brick encasement. Though we didn't get inside, peering through the windows reveals an amazingly intact 1940s vintage diner all ready for service. Currently owned by Columbia University, in the past three years both Richard Gutman and Steve Harwin have consulted on its possible restoration. Though the university maintains publicly that it plans to revive the diner for the neighborhood, the grapevine tells us that they'd rather just see it quietly go away. The neighborhood, which now features a Dinosaur Barbecue right across the street, is gentrifying, and a little diner such as this one would likely just end up as a wine bar anyway. Gutman revealed to us at the Baeder opening that this diner uses an older Tierney car for its kitchen. [b]Star on 18:[/b] Formerly the [b]Corfu Diner[/b] (and painted by Baeder), the 1940s vintage DeRaffele got the Lou Roc treatment several years ago. You will see the only indication of its pedigree right at the diner's entrance. Look down, and about five square inches of the original tile work peek up through a hole in the new tile. [b]Empire Diner:[/b] Possibly the city's most famous diner, the Empire buzzed with activity this weekend. After nearly three decades under the operation of Jack Doneius, the diner has found new owners and new lease taking it well into the twenty-first century. We spoke with one of them, Renatta Gonzalez, who told us all about plans for the diner's future while we dined on a dinner of the diner's famous burgers. Nothing but good news here. Not visited: The [b]Pearl Street Diner[/b] and the [b]Square Diner[/b] -- both we believe are still open.