Owners vow to rebuild Peter Pan Diner after overnight fire in Bay Shore

An early morning fire gutted the kitchen of a popular Bay Shore eatery Tuesday and put dozens of employees out of work, but longtime owners Peter and Angela Lentzeres vowed their Peter Pan Diner on Sunrise Highway will return.

The blaze was reported about 1:40 a.m. Tuesday and by the time firefighters from several departments had brought it under control at 3:37 a.m., the kitchen and other parts of the diner had sustained significant damage. It was closed at the time and the Suffolk police said there were no reports of injuries.

Later Tuesday morning, wooden boards covered the restaurant's front entrance with signs attached that read "KEEP OUT." Customers, employees and community members gathered outside to talk about the fire, the diner's longtime role as a community fixture, and what comes next.

The restaurant will need an entirely new kitchen and its dining area will also require repairs, Peter Lentzeres said, adding that he was “calmer than he thought he would be,” a feeling he attributes to confidence in his insurance and the community’s support.

It's too soon to say how they will manage until the diner reopens, according to the couple, but amid the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the diner was able to remain open with curbside service.

“I think it could be a few months," Peter Lentzeres said when asked how long the diner will remain shuttered.

"We hope it can be quicker," he added.

Angela Lentzeres began to cry when she arrived at the diner Tuesday morning.

Lentzeres met her husband more than 20 years ago when she was a server at Peter Pan. She said her greatest concern was the employees on the diner's payroll.

“I just feel so bad for the 70 families we support,” she said. “This is their livelihood. Many of them have kids to support.”

The couple said they were committed to reopening.

“I’m so sorry I can’t serve you food,” she said.

Carolina Castro, one of the diner’s employees, stopped by with her newborn baby, who she called “a little diner baby.”

“The second I found out, I was crying,” Castro said of her reaction to the news. “This is everything to us. This is a big place for the community. Angela is not just my boss, she’s family.”

Chastity Mota, who is 24, said she had been coming to the diner since she was 7 and left work to check on a place that, she said, “always feels like home.”

“They love me like I’m family here," Mota said. "When I was pregnant, they gave me such good hospitality. Now, I bring my daughter here.”

Authorities said firefighters from Bay Shore, West Islip, North Babylon, East Islip, Central Islip and West Sayville battled the blaze.

With John Valenti