Baldwin Coach Diner to close after 61 years
Baldwin Coach Diner in Baldwin is set to close April 10 after more than six decades in business. Credit: Newsday / Melissa Azofeifa
The Baldwin Coach Diner, which has fed multiple generations of Long Islanders, is set to close on April 10 after 61 years.
The shuttering of the family-run business comes after the death of co-owner John Kanaris earlier this month, said Trissy Kanaris-Navas, his sister and business partner.
"It was time, 61 years," Kanaris-Navas said in an interview at the diner on Sunrise Highway Thursday afternoon.
The eatery was opened in 1964 by Kanaris-Navas’ father, Peter Kanaris, and his business partners, George Tsotsos and Tommy Matthews. The trio worked hard learning to grow the business as well as bake and cook, Kanaris-Navas said.
"It actually was like a school," she said. "A lot of people left here and opened their own place."
By 2000, the diner was fully run by the Kanaris family, with Kanaris-Navas and John Kanaris managing the restaurant with their father. After his cancer diagnosis in 2016, Peter Kanaris stepped down and Kanaris-Navas and John Kanaris managed the eatery together. It has always been a family affair with Kanaris-Navas’ sister-in-law, stepmother and two sons all working at the diner.
Personal jukeboxes at each table at the Baldwin Coach Diner in 2010. Credit: Jesse Newman
Several Long Island diners have closed in recent years, including the South Bay Diner and Lindencrest Diner, both in Lindenhurst; the Mediterranean Diner in Bellmore; and The Lantern Diner in West Hempstead. Meanwhile, Syosset's former Celebrity Diner was reborn as Neptune Diner.
Baldwin Coach Diner has 150 seats for patrons in the homey space with three dining rooms, offering both cozy booths and tables for diners to order dishes like steak quesadillas with french fries ($17.95) and the popular chicken cutlet parmigiana ($16.95).
Kanaris-Navas said she's grateful for the loyal customers and employees who have supported the family business through the years.
"I’ve had a wonderful staff, many have been here for decades," Kanaris-Navas said. "We’ve been blessed."
Baldwin Coach Diner, 790 Sunrise Hwy., Baldwin, 516-223-2161, baldwincoachdiner.com. Open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday to Sunday.
Melissa Azofeifa is a restaurants reporter with Newsday's FeedMe team. Having grown up on Long Island, she loves talking about food and its impact on culture. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she joined Newsday in the fall of 2024.
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