But now, the iconic diner faces an uncertain future after borough officials shut it down on Friday, Jan. 10, citing code and sanitation violations.
Owner John Diakakis says he’s been struggling for years to address the issues with the diner’s fire suppression system but has been unable to find a contractor willing to take on the job.
“I’ve tried about 30 people in the last two years alone,” said Diakakis, who also happens to be completely blind. “I told them they could charge me whatever they needed, but no one would do it.”
Borough officials flagged the suppression system as out of compliance in 2018 or 2019, Diakakis said. Desperate to keep the business running, he told officials he would only sell cold food in recent months. But when he began selling hot food again, the borough shut him down. A notice citing sanitation violations was posted on the diner’s door last Friday.
“The way that I was treated, I feel like I was steamrolled completely,” Diakakis said. “They didn’t care about anything. They made my kids throw out food. Everything had to go. They were heartless.”
Diakakis, who started working at Bendix Diner as a teenager while studying at Ithaca College, has poured his life into the business. After his brother struggled with addiction, his sister became a schoolteacher, and his mother fell ill with cancer, the family business naturally fell on his shoulders.
He learned the layout of the diner through repetition, relying on his hearing to navigate the bustling kitchen and serve customers.
"I see with my hearing," Diakakis said. “I’m so in tune and perceptive. Sometimes, I lose it when there’s too much noise because it breaks my concentration. Until you see it, you wouldn’t believe it.”
Diakakis admits he’s been losing sleep since the shutdown and says it feels like there’s an agenda to close the Bendix Diner for good.
“It’s not like I wasn’t trying,” Diakakis said. “I’ve made so many phone calls. After a while, you just feel like no one wants to be bothered. But this is my place, and I’m trying to fix this problem.”
The closure has left him worried about how he’ll pay his rent and property taxes, which total nearly $40,000 a year. “This is my only source of income,” Diakakis said.
After his mother’s death last November, Diakakis’s siblings suggested selling the diner, but he’s been reluctant. The Bendix is more than a business to him—it’s a legacy.
“It might be the end of the Bendix Diner," Diakakis said.
For now, Diakakis says he is desperate to find a contractor to fix the fire suppression system before it’s too late.
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