Another iconic New Jersey diner to close

⭕ Iconic Mr. G's Diner in Paterson is closing
⭕ Legal battles over the diner's name are being blamed
⭕ Mr. G's has been serving customers for nearly a century

Less than two months after reopening under new ownership, the Iconic Mr. G's Diner in Paterson is closing.

The classic New Jersey diner has been serving the community for 85-years.

Final meals will be served this weekend, and the official closing will happen on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 5:00 p.m.

New owners purchased the diner in 2023 and spent nearly two years renovating and modernizing the diner. It reopened just last August to much fanfare and celebration.

However, financial and legal troubles have taken a toll and owner Silk City Hospitality posted on the diner Facebook page, "Litigation over the name of our diner has presented significant operational challenges, which unfortunately prevented our vision for Mr. G's diner from coming to fruition."

What happened?

The diner was purchased by noted civil rights activist Russell “G” Graddy in 2008. He ran Mr. G's until his death in 2021.

Graddy was a fixture in Paterson and the civil rights community. He was among the delegation that hosted the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. when he visited Paterson in 1968. Dr. King was assassinated days later.

When Graddy died, his family tried to run the diner but ended up closing and selling the property to Silk City Hospitality.

It was the intention of the new owners to honor Graddy's legacy by modernizing the diner and keeping it a fixture in the community.

Mayor Andre Sayegh attended the reopening in August and talked about how vital the diner was to Paterson's social and cultural life.

Sayegh and other dignitaries talked at length about Graddy's contributions to Paterson.

Fight over the diner's name

On the very day the diner reopened, Graddy's family sued the new ownership. They claimed the $800,000 purchase price was for the building only, and not the Mr. G. name.

The lawsuit alleged "deceptive business practices" and that the new owners "have been shameless in their unlawful efforts to mislead the public into believing that defendants’ counterfeit diner is the same beloved diner business that was once operated by the Graddys."

Legal costs associated with lawsuit were cited by the owners of the diner as a reason they are being forced to close.

What happens next?

Uncertain.

The new owners have sunk a lot of money into the diner getting it ready to reopen.

It is possible they could sell it to another operator or even re-open.

Silk City said their passion to run the “beloved establishment” remains strong but financially it doesn't make sense.

If the diner were to re-open, it would be called something else.

"If we do re-open," Silk City said on Facebook, "It will be under a new name."

For now, the owners are offering their thanks.

"We are incredibly grateful for the support we have received and are deeply saddened that we cannot continue serving the community in the way we had hoped."

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