The Collingswood Diner is closing and will be replaced by a weed dispensary

It is officially last call at the Collingswood Diner, which will close after a final day of service on Aug. 10.

Don’t feel sad for owner Jimmy Papandreou, though. The man who has operated the diner since its 1974 opening said he is excited to retire and get out of the diner business.

“I’m happy,” Papandreou, 72, said about the decision. “I want to enjoy what I have left.”

The diner will be replaced by a marijuana dispensary, he said. Other restaurants nearby in Collingswood have been replaced by similar shops in the years since New Jersey legalized cannabis use in 2021. And just a quarter mile from the diner, Mr. Chen’s Chinese, Q’s Ultra Lounge, and Cafe II have all gone out of business.

The only remaining restaurants in the immediate neighborhood are a Dunkin’, a sushi restaurant named Dragon House, and Sagami, a feature of The Inquirer’s The 76.

Papandreou said that the diner business has gotten too expensive to operate in recent years, even in the diner capital of the world. Casual sit-down dining has struggled across the country, and Papandreou said employees have been hard to find since the COVID pandemic. Most of his competition of late has come from fast food franchises.

“Not many people buy diners anymore,” he said.

Papandreou said that some of his remaining employees are planning to retire with him, though others will be looking for work. He thanked his customers from over the decades, and said he was glad they understand what closing the diner means for him.

“They’re happy for me to see me going,” he said.