We’ve just gotten word that Old John’s Luncheonette will be reopening in 2021 – though it is expected to look and feel a bit different.
When Old John’s Luncheonette closed in 2020, the pain was felt throughout the neighborhood. But luckily, a former employee – Louis Skibar – has renegotiated the old diner’s lease terms, ensuring the legacy of a diner that is near and dear to his heart.
Skibar started working at Old John’s in 1984, at the age of 16, starting as a delivery boy and working his way up to short order cook during his six year tenure. This was before the restaurant was forced to close its original location (at 66th & Broadway) due to development on the block. Old John’s would eventually relocate to 148 West 67th Street a few years later, becoming a neighborhood mainstay for the next 30 years.
Skibar moved on and opened a number of restaurants. He founded Toloache Restaurant Group, which today has a portfolio including restaurants in Manhattan and Queens, including Toloache (two locations), Tacuba (two locations), Coppelia, El Fish Shack (two locations) and Cuba.
And now he’s working on rebuilding a neighborhood classic.
In addition to resurrecting Old John’s Luncheonette, he will be hiring many former staff members as well; one of the original 67th street crew members, Kathy Dellinger, will work on social media and photography for the new spot. And while the diner will get a bit of a facelift, the bones will be preserved and respected, and will still feature classic diner counter seating.
Chef Grayson Schmitz (Jean-Georges, Fiamma, BKLYN Larder, Olivier Cheng) will be overseeing the menu and kitchen, while Pastry Chef Tanya Ngangan (Fauchon, Maze by Gordon Ramsy, Bisous Ciao) will be handling the desserts. Old John’s will serve American Comfort Fare, including updated takes on many of its former dishes. It will operate daily, from 7AM – 12AM, and will also offer the neighborhood a full-service coffee bar, along with an assortment of to-go baked goods each morning. The diner will look to serve the neighborhood with a full service bar, featuring locally-sourced spirits.
Very happy to hear this!
Kathy,
I’ve been thinking about you during this time, and have expressed my concern to others.
Relieved to read this update.
Hope you see this message and stay in touch.
I haven’t been going to the park much, but hope we will see each other again soon.
Stay safe
Jill
More than happy to debate the neighborhood merits of “upscaling”, but how about simple fare at an affordable price? A diner that “reinvents” itself as a high-end bistro with a “star” kitchen only amplifies the disparity between the haves and have-nots– A common formula that has eroded the vibrancy and diversity of our neighborhood. A MASSIVE reset button has been pushed in NYC right now which will hopefully allow for a reversion to mean, providing opportunity for those entrepreneurs who cater to those outside of the 1%. While Skibar may be a good restaurateur, he probably left a ton of money on the table without extracting an enormous pound of flesh from the Landlord. BTW (and IMHO), “locally sourced spirits” is probably the cheapest of cheap hustles out there, made only better by “hand crafted cocktails made from locally sourced spirits”, or even better “a curated list of hand crafted cocktails made from locally sourced spirits by trained artisans…” Remember folks, “whiskey down” means rye bread, toasted.
Unfortunately, a lot times these old school restaurants must be “reinvented” as more upscale places in order to afford to pay that stubborn commercial rent. The profit margins on any restaurant are very low, despite what one might think, the landlord did not necessarily give anybody any breaks on the new lease for the old space. Near where I work on the East Side, Rosa Mexico at East 58th and 1st Avenue had their lease come up for renewal after 30 years right during the apex of the pandemic in April. They were just doing takeout at that point, and the landlord wanted a HUGE rent increase, again, during this pandemic, before outdoor dining and indoor dining. Now, it is just an empty store for rent, along with all the others on 1st Avenue. Just food for thought.
My wife snd I were just talking about diners and coffee shops the other day. Likely due to the high rents, the prices at the ones near us (just south of Old John’s) are prohibitively high for the quality of the food. If I’m going to pay $18 for a tuna melt, it should be the best tuna melt out there. With the team they are putting together, maybe the quality will start to match the prices. I’m excited for that.
I didn’t see any mention of prices, but of course someone takes sides on something “controversial” without facts.
I’m looking forward to it. And Louis’ story is fantastic!
Welcome back, Old John’s!
Way past time to revise the laws that give big tax breaks to commercial landlords who ask for outrageous rents and are rewarded for letting their buildings stand empty.
Old John’s is a bit too far south to be in my usual bailiwick but I remember having a very pleasant meal there a few years ago.
Rand, You continue to repeat 100% falsehoods. There is NO tax benefit to a landlord for leaving a building empty. Yes, when they don’t collect income, like any business, they pay less tax. Same as if you stopped working you would pay less tax too.