London’s beloved Prince Albert’s Diner, a Richmond Row restaurant icon for decades, will close its doors at the end of November, the diner’s owners announced late Tuesday.
In a post on the restaurant’s Instagram page, Prince Albert’s sibling owners Betsy Gallo and Bill Spigos said they were hanging up the aprons after meeting their goal of operating the establishment for a quarter-century.
“Was it the best 25 years of our lives? Absolutely!!! A 25-year goal was set, our goal was met and now it’s our time to go,” the post read.
“Our success was made possible by the support of our loyal customers, the dedication of our employees who have become part of our family, and the joy of operating Prince Albert’s Diner.”
In the Instagram post, Gallo and Spigos gave thanks to the suppliers and business associates who worked alongside them over the years, adding they were “honoured to be able to say that we had a landmark in London.”
Speaking with 980 CFPL on Wednesday, Spigos shot down rumours the decision to close was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic or the minimum wage increase announced this week.
“We’re going out on a high,” he told London Live with Mike Stubbs. “It was time.”
“Yesterday was … the first time we let it out, we notified our staff first off…. It was a little difficult,” he said.
“Today, it’s just been overwhelming with all the support, all the call-ins and the customers coming in and friends and people that we went through the years. It’s been great.”
The unexpected news elicited an outpouring of support from members of the public, who have been reminiscing fondly on past visits to the retro-styled diner, with many hinting that they plan to go back before the month is up.
“Thank you both so much for everything you have done, working at the diner was what helped me become the hard worker I am today,” read one comment on the diner’s Instagram post.
“NOOOOO DOES THIS MEAN I WONT BE ABLE TO GET ME A WALLY BURGER WHEN I COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS?!” read another.
“I lived in London for 21 of those years. And Prince Albert’s is why I like peanut butter on a burger, or in a milkshake,” read a third.
Mike Stubbs of 980 CFPL was among those who took a trip down memory lane, writing in a tweet that Prince Al’s was the location where he and his wife Kiersta had their “first real date.”
“I got nervous trying to order and ended up with cheese fries and a vodka and coke.”
Prince Al’s, with its yellow exterior (formerly blue) and retro 1950s interior, has been a favourite haunt for downtown diners since it first opened its doors at the corner of Richmond and Albert streets in 1985 under a previous owner.
“The landlord there, Rob Noel, he ran it for a good 10 years, and he came to us and asked if we wanted to buy it,” Spigos said.
“My parents operated the High Lunch on Dundas Street and he’d frequent there. And that was in 1996, and we took over Prince Albert’s from then.”
The closure of Prince Albert’s comes just over a month after another beloved downtown business, City Lights Bookshop, went up for sale along with the building it’s housed in.
City Lights has occupied its Richmond Street address since 1975, and recently found new owners who plan to continue running the store, according to CBC London.
Spigos confirmed such an outcome wasn’t in the cards for Prince Al’s.
“We decided that it won’t be operated as Prince Albert’s Diner no longer in that spot,” he said.
“It might open up as another diner, another restaurant, who knows. It won’t be run by us. We didn’t want to pass the torch on and not know what the future held for Prince Albert’s there so we just decided to call it at this time.”
With Londoners making their final visits to the diner over the course of the next month, seating will likely be hard to come by. Spigos said they would continue operating first come, first served as they always have.
“We usually have delivery on there as well, there’s Uber and Skip, but I don’t think we’ll be having too much time for the deliveries ourselves with having customers coming in,” he said.
He noted that although they anticipated the diner’s final day of operation being Nov. 28, that will be confirmed closer to the end of the month through Prince Al’s social media.
“We weren’t prepared for such a response of love here from everybody…. We love London and we wouldn’t have done this any other place,” Spigos said.