Williamsburg’s classic 24-hour eatery Kellogg’s Diner (518 Metropolitan Ave.), which dates back to the 1940s, is on the brink of closure as a result of the coronavirus pandemic while welcoming customers indoors for the first time since March.
New York City restaurants can officially resume indoor service at a maximum of 25% capacity as of Wednesday, but the potential sales boost is not enough to recoup months of losses, according to Kellogg’s owner Irene Siderakis. “They need to give us the 50% tomorrow,” she said in an interview with Pix11 while advocating for Governor Cuomo to allow for increased indoor dining capacity.
Kellogg’s Diner transitioned to take-out only following the restrictions placed on restaurants in March to help stop the spread of the virus. Siderakis, who bought the diner in 2013 with her husband Chris, began running the restaurant two years ago following his unexpected death. The delayed reopening of NYC restaurants compared with Upstate regions is unfair Siderakis says, and if business doesn’t increase soon Kelloggs may permanently close.
“To fail after succeeding — and they’re making me fail? These restrictions? As a single mom and as a single woman it’s not right,” she told Pix11.