Last Call At Historic Milford Diner Closing For Good This Weekend

MILFORD, CT — The Bridgeport Flyer Diner will be closing its doors for the last time Sunday, according to a Facebook post from the restaurant. A developer intends to construct two buildings with 80 apartments at the 249 Bridgeport Ave. site.

The current owner of the Bridgeport Flyer Diner, Dennis Kokenos, has said he intends to retire.

"On Sunday, February 23rd at 9:00 PM, I will be hanging up my apron and closing the doors on an 80 year legacy," the post reads. "My grandfather, Antonio Rountos, established the first diner in 1940 in Bridgeport. My parents, Perry and Zoy Kokenos, took it over in the 1960s. My father built the second Flyer in Devon in 1973 with his business partner Anthony Rountos. For nearly a century, the diners were full."

Kokenos said he always "wanted the Flyer to feel like a home away from home." He and his wife Kiki typed the daily specials every morning for 25 years.

"Over my lifetime of working at the Flyer, I have met so many people I will never forget," he said. "I have watched staff fall in love, had a daily coffee with regulars that became family and found people who developed a passion for the diner that lasted until the very end."

Kokenos said the decision to close was not an easy one but that he looks forward to watching his grandchildren grow up.

On Thursday, the diner advertised specials like a crispy fried chicken sandwich, spaghetti and meatballs, and a breaded pork chop with potato and vegetable.

The diner will be demolished to make way for a Metro Star Co. LLC proposal which calls for 80 apartments with 24 of those being affordable. Construction is anticipated to begin in April on two, five-level buildings.

The Planning and Zoning Board approved the developer's plans at a meeting last month.

Previously, the board had rejected similar plans for a 50-housing unit project that would have included retail space.