Hi there. Welcome to our page on Roadside Online. We’re Felicity & Brian and we love mid-​century architecture, roadside attractions, good food, thrifting, motel signs, and other fun travel destinations. We’re concerned about historic preservation and we love a good hamburger. Most of our posts will focus on stuff in the southwest (Arizona, Southern California, New Mexico), but you never know, we might throw in something in from some other part of the country too. Join us on our quest to find cool stuff, keep smiling, and preserve what’s awesome!

Welcome,

Brian and Felicity

Good to see Sterling 4105, previously used for non-​foodservice retail as Balloon Boutique, (formerly Riley Bros.) in Lynn, MA has found a new home. Who better to take care of vintage diners like this than a railroad museum. This is as good a place as any for this long unused 1941 diner, which hadn’t served a meal in three decades. Diner people shouldn’t frown on this latest move as a bad idea. Yes, it’s on private property in an out of the way area and only open for limited use, but it’s being maintained, and is serving food once again. Sure beats the fate of some 60+ other long shuttered vintage diners now sitting up on cribbing scattered around the country.

UPDATE: OK, now I’m really confused. DinerHotline posted this pic of the Bel-​Aire sitting on Rte 1 on cribbing a mere 45 ft. forward of where it used to operate. Whaaaa? But the earlier postings said it was being moved last week to Lowell, and then possibly later to New Hampshire. Now, it seems the Bel-​Aire has not gone anywhere at all! Just moved forward off its foundation and is for sale as is, where is. And as for the “3 interested buyers”.…. yah, whatever JK. If this is the case, it makes me howl! Just more John Kallas. Also explains what he meant when he said “Maybe I’ll just move it to the back of the lot on Route 1″ Meaning — if he doesn’t get his $50Gs, JK’ll just move it back 100 ft. and it’ll remain there for sale — forever. This story is now even MORE like the Branchburg and Vale-​Rio. Also, one day soon the Sanfords will put Eddie’s and Travelers up for sale as well. That’ll make five. As for Jimmy Evans Flyer — that is going to meet an abrupt end with a front end loader and a steel bin.

We were right. What is now “official”, is exactly what we’ve observed about John Kallas’ callous choices regarding the Bel-​Aire, a diner his family ordered new from Mountain View some 55 years ago. For more than 5 years Roadside had this diner on its Diner For Sale list. In all the time since it closed in 2004, it has decayed, been unheated, had water running through it, etc. Just like the Branchburg and Vale-​Rio Diners.

Now, let’s do the math. Last week’s move to nowhere likely set John Kallas back $25,000+. For the past 5 yrs. Kallas told potential buyers that he wanted a whopping $199,000 for the diner and/​or “make me an offer — but I’ll warn you, I want more than these things typically go for.” Yada yada yada…

News that Rochester, New Hampshire’s Remember When Diner is to be auctioned off later this month is par for the course. I shed no tears for the demise of any Starlite — especially one promoting the awful Doo-​wop 50s Elvis /​Marilyn schtick.

The fact that a Starlite has failed is of little interest. However, what is noteworthy is the diner operation — the numbers. Once again, there’s that $1.1 MILLION figure I’ve discussed and calculated so many times in the past few years. Had this diner been installed in a place where land is more expensive than as in rural NH — say, in a city where every aspect of setting up a diner costs more, one should add another $300K — $400K to the pot. Alas, once again we’re at the magic $1.4 — $1.5 million figure we now quote. As it is, the $1.1 million outlay fig for a 45 – 70 seat diner is an unsustainable scenario in 2010.

Update: It seems that Sancliffe Corp, the company owned by the Sanfords, indeed bought this diner and property from the previous owners in August, 2000.

The recent addition of a “For Sale” sign in the window of the Star Diner in East Providence is completely consistent with everything I’ve written and we’ve observed about this bizarre family and their strange way of doing things.

As we don’t know what the current market value of the real estate is in that area, it’s too early to say whether a buyer would buy purely for the real estate, or buy the diner to operate.

Once again, I’ll say what I’ve said before. It is unlikely the Star will ever re-​open on that site. My guess is the diner will be moved off that property. The Sanfords badly damaged the foodservice trade reputation for that site after leaving it closed for 9 of 10 years. Sure, it could be re-​established, but I doubt it will ever re-​open.