We'll miss our old diner
Wendy and Larry Penner at the Scobee Grill on Little Neck Parkway before it closed in late November, 2010 Credit: Penner Family Photo
Larry and Wendy Penner live in Great Neck.
It was a sad day for Great Neck and Little Neck recently when Scobee Grill on Little Neck Parkway shut down. A "lost our lease'' sign was hung on the door.
The diner has been part of our lives since we were growing up in the 1960s and '70s. Sixteen years ago, we met on a blind date at Scobee. We returned every year on the anniversary of that day.
Scobee, with its stone exterior, wide glass windows and chrome trim, had a counter, tables and booths in several different sections. We knew the staff by first name, including owners Harry Pallas, Gus Xikis and Sal Winder.
Eating there was like joining the family for a homecooked meal. One Sunday over lox omelets, we read the dinner specials and returned that night for pot roast. Portions were generous and we often took home a doggie bag for the next day. When dinner was really filling, we bagged desserts to go. Chocolate pudding with whipped cream was eaten on site, but the black-and-white cookie came home.
The neighborhood has seen many changes. On Northern Boulevard, the old bowling alley, the movie theater, the mini-Sears Roebuck on Great Neck Road, Bill's newsstand by the first Q12 Flushing bus stop, Mangels Delicatessen, the old 5&10 and other stores have come and gone. Year ago, we never saw vacant storefronts. Today there are many.
In difficult economic times, we think it is important to patronize local businesses - North Shore Hardware, the Little Neck drugstore, DiMaria's Pizza & Italian Kitchen, Aunt Bella's Restaurant and others. We don't mind paying a little more to help them survive. At restaurants, we try to tip 20 percent against the total bill and taxes. If we can afford to eat out, we can afford an extra dollar tip. When ordering takeout, we leave a dollar or two for the waiter or cook.
It is appreciated. These people, our neighbors, work long hours, pay taxes and provide local jobs. If we don't patronize our local community business people when we shop and eat out, they don't eat either.
We toast the good times we had at Scobee diner and hope we don't lose any more of our local businesses.
