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Partly Cloudy Reopening the Pantry
Diner expected to come back after shutting down following 2011 fire
The Pantry Diner, once an institution in Rockville Centre but vacant for the past four years, may soon reopen.
The diner, at the corner of Long Beach and Merrick roads, operated for more than 60 years before a kitchen fire in November 2011 shut it down. At the time, its owners planned to reopen in 2012, but the timeline lengthened. Messages painted in the windows of the building promised a 2014 reopening.
The restaurant’s owner, Tom Mavroudis, finally had an exterior design plan approved by the village board at a meeting on Aug. 5. Mavroudis plans to redo the building’s exterior, replacing the façade with brick and updating the overall look, and changing some of the landscaping on the property as well.
“I couldn’t be happier to welcome back the Pantry Diner to the Village of Rockville Centre,” Mayor Francis X. Murray said. “The Pantry Diner has been a landmark here in Rockville Centre for over half a century, serving residents and visitors.” One of the highlights of the village calendar is the annual Breakfast with Santa at the Recreation Center, and for more than a decade, the Mavroudis family provided pancakes and other food for the event.
The new plans would leave the interior largely the same as it was before the fire, but update a few small elements.
The diner shut down on Nov. 14, 2011, after an oven was left on overnight. Grease in the air ducts ignited, and flames quickly spread through the roof and caused extensive damage. The building has been closed ever since, the doors boarded over and the windows covered with blinds and brown paper.
There was no word yet as the Herald went to press on when work would start, or when the diner would officially reopen.
