Diner Closes Doors

Nothing could be finer than dinner at the diner.

For many folks in Branford that diner was the Branford Townhouse Diner on North Main Street and Cedar Street, a major town intersection off Exit 54 at I-95. A convenient meeting place, the diner was a tradition, and popular with families and working people.

No more.

The abrupt closing of the Branford Townhouse Diner on North Main Street has left locals searching for a new gathering place. Without warning, the popular diner shut its doors last month and the equipment and furnishings have been emptied out.

A sign on the diner’s door, where the glass has been broken, says: “After 20 years in business we are sadly closing our doors on Sunday, March 21. Unfortunately our lease was not renewed. We are currently looking for a new location and hope to see you all soon. Thank you for your patronage.” Repeated efforts to reach the owners to ask them where they might relocate were unsuccessful. They did not return telephone calls.

Polly Fitz, who serves as president of the Friends of the Blackstone Library, considered herself a “regular” at the diner. “I liked that they served breakfast 24 hours, They had great fresh fruit and chicken noodle soup. They had the best French fries in town,” she said.

She added that she would see a lot of other regulars there, especially multi-generational families, and the staff knew how to make all kinds of people feel comfortable. “They’d never hassle you about freeing up a table,” she said.

The diner is located in a small commercial complex now undergoing a major renovation. Upon completion, expected by the end of the year, retail space will total approximately 35,000 square feet. Coastal Wine and Spirit is the sole tenant right now and their space will be expanding into that formerly occupied by Zane’s Cycles. 

According to Dean Amendola, property manager for A&A Properties, which owns the complex, Branford Townhouse Diner was offered space but declined to sign the lease. The owners wanted a corporate guarantee; that means they would not be held liable if they broke their lease, Amendola said. “They were great tenants and we wanted them to stay,” he added.

To date, no additional stores have been lined up. The general contractor is OR&L of Branford, a design-build firm that constructed Zane’s new facility on East Main Street. Amendola said that the project should be completed by the end of the year.

In its original incarnation, the anchor store was an A&P (its hallmark cupola remains), then a Grossman’s building supply store. More recently, Zane’s occupied the space near Cedar Street and Crystal Hanger dry cleaners was located between the liquor store and the diner. The dry cleaners closed, too, but has reopened at 78 North Main St. (across from Staples).

Regardless of what goes into the remodeled space, the Branford Townhouse Diner will be missed.

“I can’t think of another place that will replace it,” said Fitz. “It was a special place.”

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