Frequenters of Little Pete's, the famed Center City diner that has prospered for 38 years, will have to get in their final meals a bit sooner than anticipated.
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According to multiple reports, the diner's final day of operations will be Monday, May 29, fittingly on Memorial Day. A Facebook post from Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, confirmed the sad news and was picked up this weekend by Philly Chit Chat.
The restaurant at 17th and Chancellor streets will be replaced by a Hyatt Centric Hotel, renderings of which were released last September. Details about retail tenants for the mixed-used project, a 13-story structure with an underground parking garage, remain under wraps for the time being, a representative for the hotel told PhillyVoice.
Owner Pete Koutroubas told Philly Chit Chat that he will be holding a block party for Little Pete's customers on the Tuesday after the diner closes.
At the start of the year, it appeared as though Little Pete's might stick around until the end of August, but Memorial Day is ultimately the day of reckoning. It's not clear how this will affect the timeline for demolition and construction of the hotel.
Of course, Little Pete's does have a second location in Fairmount at 2401 Pennsylvania Avenue, so the end of an era in Center City isn't exactly the end of the world.
The most intriguing development here is what Koutroubas told Philly Chit Chat about future plans for a second location. At one point, there had been talk of the diner relocating to another property in Center City. Apparently, that's too expensive for the Koutroubas brothers' liking. For the time being, Pete and John said they will be focusing on Fairmount and getting some rest and relaxation.
But when they decide to get back to the idea of another location? The favorite for a landing spot as of right now would be Fishtown or Northern Liberties.