Merrick Avenue Diner Renovation Going Full-Steam Ahead

Merrick Avenue Diner owner Jim Demos is currently up to his elbows in sheet rock.

The local landmark eatery, closed since February, is undergoing a large-scale renovation; it’s first since it opened to Merrick residents.

"It's an original 'silk city' diner and was built back in 1947," Demos said, referring to the company who first constructed the diner. "It used to be called the Marybill Diner when it first opened back in 1949."

Demos and his family purchased Merrick Avenue Diner a year and a half ago, continuing its tradition of serving the breakfast, lunch and dinner needs of those traversing the Merricks. However, it soon became obvious to the new owners that, after more than 70 years of operation, the diner finally needed a few touch-ups.

"We closed for renovations right after the Super Bowl, on February 6," he said. "We're upgrading everything – new bathroom, new seats, new cooking equipment, new floors, new plumbing."

However, when Demos started the renovations, he ran into a few unexpected problems brought on by the fact that the structure of the diner had pretty much remained unchanged since it first opened 73 years ago.

“The roof was rotted and floors were rotted; the plumbing was rotted,” he said. “Pretty much everything was rotted. Anything you went to touch, it disintegrated in your hand. We had no choice but to change.”

However, don't expect a radical departure when it comes to the overall look of the establishment. Demos assures patrons the that the Merrick Avenue Diner will retain the same old 1940's-style looks and ambiance.

Demos currently expects the Merrick Avenue Diner to hold it's re-opening by May 1 at the latest – an impressive feat, considering the fact that he’s handling the lion’s share of the construction work personally.

"I'm doing about 90 percent of the renovations myself," he said. "I had roofers do the roof and I have a few people helping me, but I’ve saved a lot of money doing a lot of the work myself.”

But Demos considers all the effort well worth it and when the Merrick Avenue Diner triumphantly re-opens its doors to the public this May, he is confident that it will re-capture the excitement it generated upon its first opening back in the 1940’s.

“I want people to walk into an experience from the past,” he said. “But with a new, modern twist!”