October 19, 2026
Daniella Heminghaus/USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters Connect
Zoto's Diner, which opened in the Line Lexington section of Hatfield Township in 1973, will close for good on Oct. 25. Convenience store chain Sheetz is seeking approval to build a new location at the property.
Zoto's Diner, a landmark in Hatfield Township for 53 years, will serve its final customers on Sunday as plans take shape for Sheetz to potentially open a store at the site on Route 309 in Montgomery County.
The owners of the restaurant shared a message on social media inviting customers to stop by over the coming week before the diner closes Oct. 25.
"We hope all of our loyal customers will come in to see us as much as possible over these next couple of weeks," the owners wrote in a Facebook post. "It is a very emotional time for us all and we will truly miss spending breakfast, lunch, and dinner with so many of you who feel more like family than customers."
Brothers Steve and Nick Zoto opened the diner in the Line Lexington section of Hatfield in 1973, building off their father's success as a restaurant owner. The original Zoto's Grove operated on Red Lion Road in Northeast Philly and the Zoto family also managed several other restaurants in the city over the years.
The Zotos had the diner at 1100 Bethlehem Pike constructed in the early 1970s by the Fodero Dining Car Company, a New Jersey-based manufacturer that built hundreds of modular diners shipped across the country in prefabricated pieces. A space for banquets was added in the 1980s and the restaurant was among the first diners to ban smoking in the 1990s. Longtime chef John "Yanni" Karistinos joined Zoto's Diner in 1983 and has led the kitchen ever since with menu highlights like the summer gazpacho and scallops a la yanni.
For months, Sheetz has been taking steps to secure a liquor license and obtain land development approval for a convenience store and gas station at the Zoto's property. In July, the Hatfield Board of Commissioners approved the transfer of a liquor license for Sheetz to operate at the site, and the township's planning commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of Sheetz's proposal later in the summer.
Sheetz still needs final approvals from the township, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and PennDOT to move forward with construction at the site. The company, which presented its plans to the Hatfield community at a workshop in September, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about a timeline for the store. The plan would require the demolition of the diner.
The Altoona-based convenience store chain and Wawa rival has been ramping up plans to enter to the Philadelphia region in the past few years. The company opened its first store in Limerick Township in February and is pursuing new stores in Downingtown and Chadds Ford, in addition to its proposal in Hatfield.
Zoto's has been managed by Steve Zoto, his wife JoAnne and their daughter Nikki in more recent years. The restaurant's farewell message drew an outpouring of support and fond memories from longtime diners, including many who have eaten there for decades. The owners thanked their staff for their years of service.
"We couldn't have done any of it without you," they said on Facebook. "Your dedication and devotion mean the world to us."
