Early this year, many readers reached out with questions about the status of Kellogg’s Diner, which had closed down for “cleaning,” as their window display stated, and would subsequently go on to be closed for about two weeks. It turns out that during that period, the nearly century-old diner had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and been turned over to creditors (it would go on to reopen in February, positioning it as a “grand reopening,” though the only change seemed to be truncated indoor dining hours).
And now, the diner is for sale for an asking price of $2.5 million — which includes a liquor license, full staff, 30-year lease, and the sought-after location at 518 Metropolitan Avenue, right above G and L train stops — with MYC & Associates Inc.
While the 95-year-old diner has a colorful history in the neighborhood, serving as a late-night staple for many a bar-goer, the backdrop for a now-viral scene in HBO’s Girls, or place to grab a bite without needing a reservation (a rarity in the Williamsburg we know today), it hasn’t been always been smooth sailing. In 2019, Kellogg’s was mired with a federal wage theft lawsuit, and reportedly owed over $750,000 in various unpaid bills by 2021 according to a report by Eater. This resulted in an original filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy (which is defined as a restructuring while continuing to operate to repay debts; compared to the current Chapter 7 filing in which assets, i.e. the diner, are entirely seized by creditors).
Also, on a surface level, despite being seen as a late-night neighborhood beacon, debates online continued over whether the food was actually…good. When fighting the threat of closure during the earlier (relative) days of the pandemic, comments were mixed on our post about the topic — many shared fond memories, while others admitted the diner’s charm was not necessarily in its cuisine, to put it lightly.
That being said, we would still rather have a landmark diner there than another bank or more condos. (Fingers crossed the buyer will bring back 24/7 dining, too.)
The diner looks like a cesspool although, in fairness, that intersection is not hospitable to human life. The area needs a road diet and MTA needs to finish the elevator construction already as it’s a gaping eye sore and massive inconvenience to pedestrians and store fronts.