Lindy's Diner owners holding off plans to sell
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Lindy鈥檚 Diner has been whipping up everything from chicken fried steak to huevos rancheros for more than 50 years from an iconic building in Downtown sa国际传媒官网网页入口 on Route 66.
And despite prior announcements and efforts to sell, the diner鈥檚 owners now say they will keep the restaurant open for the foreseeable future.
Co-owners, and husband and wife, Steve Vatoseow, 67, and Dawn Vatoseow, 60, attempted to sell their property on the southwest corner of 5th Street and Central Avenue in 2022 for $1.3 million, but the couple didn鈥檛 get any offers, Steve Vatoseow said. The couple again announced in late 2023 they planned to sell the restaurant sometime in 2024. However, they never put the property on the market 鈥� 鈥渏ust waiting for the right time,鈥� Steve Vatoseow said.
News of the couple鈥檚 attempt to sell the property hasn鈥檛 helped draw in customers, Dawn Vastoseow said.
鈥淲e still get people coming in here saying, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e open; I thought you closed,鈥欌�� she said.
A reason for the lack of interested buyers, Steve Vatosweow said, is that the couple owns the entire Bliss Building. The property includes Lindy鈥檚 Diner on the first floor and an upper level with 22 rooms that once operated as the Elgin Hotel. He said the upper parts of the building are not up to code and would need a considerable investment to convert the space into an enterprise.
鈥淵ou could easily spend a million,鈥� Steve Vatoseow said.
The roof needs work and so do the water and electric systems. The hotel shut down decades ago , and Dawn Vasteow said they haven鈥檛 touched the upstairs since.
Steve Vatoseow said the space could be turned into apartments, but he doesn鈥檛 intend to contribute to that effort.
鈥淎t this point in my life, I really don鈥檛 want to go into mega debt,鈥� he said.
The corner restaurant has been operating since 1929. Narke Vatoseow, Steve Vatoseow鈥檚 father, became a partner in 1964 and it was rebranded Lindy鈥檚 Coffee Shop in 1970, and later Lindy鈥檚 Diner .
Steve Vatoseow took over the restaurant when his father died in 1994. He said his children have no interest in carrying on the family business.
鈥淢y kids are a little bit smarter. They don鈥檛 want anything to do with here,鈥� he joked.
He has worked at the restaurant for almost 40 years and met his wife while he was a cook 35 years ago.
She was working a day job as a credit and collections manager but would help out occasionally at the restaurant until then-owner Narke Vatoseow was diagnosed with cancer.
鈥淪teve was down here by himself, so I never went back to work after my short-term disability was up,鈥� said Dawn Vatoseow, who was on short-term disability after just giving birth to her first daughter.
The Vatoseows worked in the kitchen and their daughters helped out.
鈥淢y kids kind of grew up here,鈥� said Dawn Vatoseow.
These days, Dawn Vatoseow makes all the desserts in the morning and works out front while Steve Vatoseow cooks in the back. Most days, Lindy鈥檚 only has three employees, including the Vatoseows.
The small staff means shortened hours. Lindy鈥檚 is now open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It used to stay open until 3 a.m. and would serve the late-night bar crowd.
The business never fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. Dawn Vatoseow said the restaurant鈥檚 bread and butter was serving lunch to people who worked Downtown.
鈥淣ow everybody wants to work from home,鈥� she said.
Allison Carpenter covers retail for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. She can be reached at acarpenter@abqjournal.com.
