Closure of Pink Lion Diner, Making Manner for Wawa, Attributed to Impression of COVID

The Pink Lion Diner, a long-standing institution in Southampton Township, New Jersey, has been bought, leaving clients stunned and saddened. Paul Tsiknakis, the proprietor, mirrored on the bittersweet second as he cleaned and packed up the diner’s belongings. The diner, as soon as bustling with conversations, now sits empty and closed.

Tsiknakis took over the Pink Lion Diner 5 and a half years in the past, however its historical past spans again 5 a long time. Positioned on the circle at Routes 206 and 70, the diner was a neighborhood landmark and a well-liked cease for vacationers heading down the shore. Tsiknakis expressed his appreciation for the loyal employees and buyer base, however in the end, the diner fell sufferer to the influence of COVID-19.

Throughout the peak of the pandemic, Tsiknakis entered right into a contractual settlement with a developer, intending to construct a brand new diner. Nonetheless, rising building prices and rates of interest disrupted his plans. Regardless of initially planning to maintain the diner open for 30 days to regularly empty it out, Tsiknakis was knowledgeable by attorneys that this was not possible, ensuing within the sudden closure.

Prospects reminisced about their fond reminiscences on the Pink Lion Diner, expressing their disappointment at its closure. Tsiknakis revealed plans for a proposed Wawa to be constructed on the positioning, however he ensured that among the diner’s historical past can be preserved. One notable piece, a ten,000-pound marble lion referred to as Leo, which as soon as graced the diner’s entrance, has been bought to a neighborhood steel firm. The proceeds from the sale have been donated to the United Trooper’s Fund, permitting Leo’s legacy to stay on within the city.