WHARTON — Another beloved North Jersey diner, a family business that's been "serving love and comfort food" since the Reagan administration, flipped its last eggs and pancakes last week.
Succumbing to changing times and another redevelopment project, the Townsquare Diner on Route 15 in Wharton will be replaced by a strip mall.
In a letter posted on the diner's front door after its Oct. 5 closing, the Sedereas family thanked customers for making the restaurant "a part of your daily routines, your celebrations, your traditions and your lives."
"Whether you came in for a quick cup of coffee, a family breakfast or your usual favorite meal, your presence meant the world to us," they wrote, signing the letter "Peter, Costa and Dimos."
"You weren't just customers — you became part of our extended family."
The Sederas family opened the business in 1987. On their website, they proclaimed "we buy only the finest ingredients" and promised a focus on "quality food served promptly in a warm family atmosphere."
New Jersey is still America's Diner Capital, but as many as 150 diners have closed in the state in the last decade. Fewer than two dozen 24-hour diners remain in operation in the Garden State. In recent years, Morris County has also bid farewell to the West Side Diner in Denville and the Empire in Parsippany, both on Route 46, among others.
The diner industry has experienced ebbs and flows before. Facing oversaturation and competition from fast food in the 1960s and '70s, the sector contracted. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the closure or sale of many diners.
Townsquare Diner owner Peter Sedereas, writing in an op-ed for NJ.com in 2021, said the pandemic forced diners and restaurants to adapt, in part by accommodating takeout and delivery customers. But hiring staff remained an issue.
The diner's business was also impacted earlier this year by a lengthy closure of Route 80 due to a series of sinkholes that detoured interstate traffic through downtown Wharton for months. Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Rep. Tom Kean visited the restaurant in March during highway repairs while on a tour of the area impacted by the detour.
What's replacing Townsquare Diner?
A year after Sedereas' op-ed, plans surfaced to replace the Townsquare Diner with a 12,000-square-foot strip mall on the 1.3-acre highway plot near Route 80. The diner's namesake, the Rockaway Townsquare mall, is also close by.
Plans for what developers are calling Wharton Square, posted by Lakewood-based Paramount Realty, indicate the project is already fully leased, with a Panda Express, Jersey Mike's Subs, City MD urgent care and an Aspen Dental office as tenants.
"This is a nice addition to the town," Wharton Mayor Bill Chegwidden posted on social media after the Wharton Square project was approved by the municipal planning board.
Demolition and construction dates for the property were not available. Messages left for Paramount Realty weren't immediately returned.
"We're deeply proud of what we built together with you, and we will carry your kindness with us into the next chapter," the Sedereas letter reads.
The family also thanked its staff, who "poured their hearts into every shift, every plate and every customer interaction."
The passage of time at the small-town eatery went both ways.
"To the generations who grew up with us, we've watched you kids turn into adults, and your families grow, just as you watched our family grow behind the counter," the owners wrote. "Every conversation, every smile, every shared story helped make our diner more than just a place to eat. It became a true community home."