Yet another NJ diner has closed for good

This is starting to feel like a seismic shift in Jersey culture. Another New Jersey diner has gone out of business and it’s far from the first one.

The Townsquare Diner

The Townsquare Diner in Wharton, Morris County, has been around since the New York Mets were fresh off a World Series win and since Ronald Reagan was in the White House.

Peter Sedereas and his family own it and on its last day, as they closed on Oct. 5, they left a note on the door thanking past customers for making them “a part of your daily routines, your celebrations, your traditions, and your lives," NJ.com reported.

The realities of an increasingly tough and changing business caught up with them. I give any type of restaurant props for somehow surviving the COVID closures. New Jersey still has hundreds of diners, but exceedingly few are open 24 hours anymore. And a scary number have gone under in recent years.

Just this year alone, the Collingswood Diner closed, along with the Americana Diner in West Orange and the Roadside Diner in Wall. The Cherry Hill Diner closed in 2023. The Marlton Diner went away. So did the Penn Queen Diner in Pennsauken. Many others.

Read More: Are NJ diners an endangered species?

Diner culture

Diners have been such an intrinsic part of the Jersey cultural tapestry for so long, I wonder if we think it’s impossible for them to be a dying breed. But I worry. I mean, wasn’t there a time when we thought it could never happen to the fun novelty of drive-in theaters? Yet it did.

They say diners’ customer base is aging, while younger people are choosing chain restaurants. There’s also less appeal for late-night dining, which is hurting the industry. Are we seeing the beginning of the end of an era? Take our poll.