The famous Munson Diner, a much-beloved Hell's Kitchen greasy spoon that made its way to Liberty on the back of a flatbed trailer in 2005 and re-opened to great fanfare in 2007, has closed. Again. From this week's Sullivan County Democrat:
Her most recent operator, Mark Moore of Monticello, closed the place on Dec. 22.
Even though his coffee was good, his apple dumplings gained fans and his chile won awards, financial realities and other issues pressed hard on Moore.
“Right from the get-go, I was doomed and didn’t know it,” said Moore.
Moore took over operation of the historic diner, which sits on a knoll on Lake Street (Route 55) overlooking South Main, in December 2009.
He renovated until April, when he opened and did fairly well — even though he had to battle the so-so reputation the blue and silver diner had earned under prior owners. Then hot weather struck.
“When I went to use the air conditioner, it was no good,” Moore said. “Here I am, with a stainless steel diner with a lot of glass and no way to cool it down. I spent close to $1,000 for an exhaust fan for the roof. I couldn’t go into a lot of debt to buy a new air conditioner.”
He sometimes lost up to 35 customers a day because the place was too hot for them.
Gradually, Moore’s profits plummeted. December came and he had to start making decisions between paying the electric bill and signing paychecks for employees. It was Christmastime, and he chose the latter.
Though it's been years since the Munson Diner was lucky, she's got some very good friends in town. The group of investors that owns the iconic chrome-steel building has been working behind the scenes to keep the diner on its feet for years, and they haven't given up:
[Munson Diner Corporation board member Jeremy] Gorelick said his group is committed to seeing the diner thrive and believe the eatery can play a role in Liberty’s continuing revitalization.
With the three most recent operators, “we wanted them to feel that (investors) were hands off as much as possible — that the diner was theirs,” said Gorelick.
He said the investors realize that many first-time restaurants fail within their first year of operation.
A little bit of Munson history: Long before it was made semi-famous as a filming location for Seinfeld and Law and Order, the diner was one of a wave of gleaming steel-sided chrome eateries that swept New York City in the 1940s, where, as the New York Times put it, "men and women in evening dress swap jokes with men in overalls":
The Munson is a lovable work, with the hallmarks of the 1940's style: a base of vertical strips of stainless steel holding in bowed, bright blue enameled panels; glass-block infill at various points along the window level; and horizontal blue and stainless steel striping along the top. Its red neon lights cast a haunting, rosy glow on the street until they were turned off over the summer.
Photo of the Munson Diner's iconic sign, circa 2007, by Flickr user sugarcoma. Published under Creative Commons license.
