'Iconic' Eckart's Luncheonette Set To Close After 115 Years In Westhampton Beach; New Owner Shares Plans

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — It's the end of a long, and beautiful, era: The owners of Eckart's Luncheonette in Westhampton Beach announced on social media recently that they would soon be closing their doors after 115 years — the beloved eatery's last day is February 17.

"As many of you have heard, we’ve sold," the message said. "It’s been a process that has taken a lot of consideration, heartfelt conversations, and numerous years. But, it is best for our family and we are leaving you in good hands."

Eckart's, located at 162 Mill Road, is a veritable piece of history, a gathering place for decades, a place for memories and magic and mouth-watering milkshakes.

But there's good news: According to Brian Tymann, a former Westhampton Beach village trustee and resident who is one of the buyers of the building, "We're not gutting it."

Tymann said so far, a few people have been interested in leasing the space, which, he said, will remain a luncheonette. "We won't be doing a big reno," Tymann said. "The operator hasn't been locked in yet, but I can assure you it will be very similar. No major changes."

As a well-loved sign in the shop states, Eckart's was first established in 1911 by Jacob Eckart as the "Outside Inn" Barroom. Then, with Prohibition, Eckart pivoted and barroom pivoted, becoming Eckart's Soda Shoppe.

"Over the years, it turned into much more than just a soda shoppe," owners said. "By 1949, Warren 'Red' Eckart, Jacob's son, took the store under his wing. Along with his wife Shirley, the two ran the Soda Shoppe, turned Luncheonette, as they raised their six children together. By the late 1980s, Red and Shirley's daughter Shirley "Dee", along with husband Ray, decided to follow in Red's footsteps and take a go at the business. By 2011, and three generations later, Eckart's reached their 100th year in business with a fourth generation on deck."

For those that love Eckart's, the spot speaks of rich yesterday, with the original tin ceiling and forever-the-same booths, the stools at the counter — don't forget that original phone boot in the back! — and the array of Life magazines chronicling the moments of collective lives and historical milestones.

The message on Eckart's Facebook page continued: "We want to say thank you to the community for supporting us all this time and to the many friends we have made along the way — thank you for being by our sides. Thank you to the staff that has become more like family. We couldn’t have done it without you. Like my grandfather Red always said, 'If these walls could talk.' They would talk about all of the laughter they heard, the decades of families and friends holding each other up in hard times, celebrating milestones, and filling up with good food, hot coffee and conversation. We are grateful for our history and lives spent in Westhampton Beach! We will see you around!"

Heartbroken customers, most as close as family, shared their sadness on social media, some recalling happy memories of first jobs.

One woman said, on social media, that her parents and their friends would meet at Eckart's after school in the 50s. "No dancing in the back! They always did, though. . . You will be missed."

Another long-time customer said on Facebook that she began sharing Eckart's memories with her father in the 80s. "He told me stories about when he would go to the soda shop, as he would call it, when he was a kid. We used to sit at the counter and order shakes and food and I would be in awe of all of the history. I even started collecting old bottles because of the ones I always saw at the luncheonette. He sadly passed last January, but not before have one last vanilla milkshake."

The food, so many remembered, was always a centerpiece — the best turkey club, hands down, anywhere. The omelettes and sandwiches, corned beef hash and fluffy pancakes — the stuff of comfort food dreams.

Another woman recalled, on Facebook, memories that span a lifetime, going to Eckart's at 5 years old, "sitting on that high stool with Mom and getting an ice cream cone. Then, being 8 or 9 years old, stopping for lunch — hot dog and Coke, 25 cents — on a Saturday while walking with other kids to the movies. Then junior high, lunch and music, dancing in the back to the jukebox. Always knew where to go to make a phone call home. The phone booth was still there in the back last time I was there."

Many recalled Eckart's as a place for locals, where regulars would go to enjoy root beer floats and the joy of warm conversation and rich laughter with longtime friends. "Westhampton Beach is losing a true iconic landmark," one woman wrote on Facebook. "But I wish the family well."

"Truly the heart of Westhampton Beach," another wrote on Facebook.

Eckart's will be open through Feb. 17, from Thursdays to Tuesdays, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with a last seating at 2:15 p.m. Closed Wednesdays.

Tymann was also one of the buyers of the former Post Stop Cafe on Main Street in Westhampton Beach, now Donohue's East — where Maureen Donohue-Peters, owner Donohue's East, has kept the beloved eatery much as it's been for generations, an homage to the past with a new chapter unfolding.

Stepping into the Donohue's East building, indeed, virtually everything is the same. Donohue-Peters has sanded the floors, polished up the bar and ordered some new barstools and chairs, but at its essence, all that made the Post Stop special remains — from the original tin ceiling, to the deep green light fixtures and the chandelier hanging on the porch.

"This is the perfect example of, 'If it's not broken, don't fix it,'" Tymann said, of that eatery — as he plans to help shepherd Eckart's Luncheonette into its own new future.