60-year-old diner in New Jersey being reduced to rubble

A generations-old diner in the Garden State is fading into the history books today.

The Penn Queen Diner on Route 130 in Pennsauken, just a few minutes from the Betsy Ross Bridge, is being demolished.

A short video published to the Pennsauken Talks Facebook group Tuesday showed construction equipment chipping away at the 60-year-old landmark.

The Penn Queen Diner opened in 1964 and was a family-owned business until it closed sometime around 2023.

According to an article from 2014 on allaroundpennsauken.com,

Fifty years ago, the diner was a family-run establishment and it remains so to this very day. Owned by Zane Katsikis; his sons, Nicholas and Thomas Katsikis; and son-in-law, Manny Konstantinides, the Penn Queen Diner is run in a royal fashion, worthy of its name. Patriarch Zane Katsikis was originally a chef; he is now also a savvy businessman, with an eye on the diner’s longevity and creating a steady flow of happy customers. So far, his formula has worked.

Ironically, that article ended with, "Again, congratulations, Penn Queen, and may you enjoy another fifty, happy, flourishing, and successful years!"

Sadly, it didn't see another ten.

As for why the Penn Queen Diner is being demolished, developers bought the property and two fast food restaurants will be replacing it, a Taco Bell and a Tim Horton's. Those will pair nicely with the Wendy's that's right next door.

While those chain restaurants certainly serve their purpose, it's sad to see a piece of Jersey history crumble to the ground. Heck, even the sign is amazing — they don't make 'em like that anymore.

Sure, new restaurants open in the Garden State all the time, but there's something tragic about losing a diner in this state. It's a piece of who we are. I mean, diners are the reason why we're one of the few states that don't have a Waffle House on every corner. That says a lot.

As the Penn Queen falls, decades of memories, decades of friendships, decades of cups of coffee, and decades of 3 AM visits after a night out on the town are fading away with it, all in the name of progress.

Enjoy your chalupa.