Feature
www.qns.com I LIC COURIER I DECEMBER 2017 35
add items but swap dishes out to make
it easier on kitchen staff. Kanellos also
gets advice from his 23-year-old son,
who has suggested new beer options and
food items that cater to new residents.
“The crowd now is a young crowd,”
he said. “They eat a little lighter and they
drink a lot heavier. We sell a lot more
alcohol than we used to sell.”
Customers can also order food on
Seamless or Grubhub, which also helps
attract new business.
While young people and tourists “who
want to see an American diner” make up
a good portion of their customers, the
diner has a lot of regulars who work in the
area. Citi Bank employees, judges, lawyers
and their clients and workers in nearby
manufacturing centers all come to Court
Square Diner for lunch. One customer has
been frequenting the diner for 52 years.
“The neighborhood used to be enve-lope
factories, taxi companies,” Kanellos
said. “Now, it’s residential and hotels.
The way we do business changed. The
diner is not only about the food. You’re
part of the neighborhood.”
Court Square Diner has a catering
arm and also provides food for events
hosted at nearby MoMA PS1. They are
also the largest contributors to Long
Island City Artists, a local arts nonprofit.
In addition to loyal customers, the diner
also has loyal employees. Some people
have worked at the diner since Kanellos
purchased it in 1991 while others have
been around for as long as 18 years.
The train-car style diner, which was
renovated in 2009, is also a favorite
among film and television scouts. Shows
like “Jessica Jones,” “Gotham,” “Gossip
Girl,” and “Person of Interest” have all
filmed scenes there. Stars like Jennifer
Lopez, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and
Ray Liotta have also shot movies there.
Kanellos said running a diner requires
the owner to have “the same passion and
work ethic as when you first got the place.”
Since the diner is open 24/7, Kanellos
works on Thanksgiving, New Years and
other holidays. He’s had to scale back on
allowing movies and films to use the diner
as a location because customers get upset
when he has to close for 12-hour shoots.
Since the diner has been around for
so long, the rent is affordable and Kanel-los
is able to keep his prices cheap to
compete with surrounding businesses. He
added that many diners are going out of
business not just because of rising rents
but because younger generations are
not interested in putting all the hours in.
“You see less and less diners because
nobody wants to do this,” he said. “It’s a lot
of money to invest. You gotta work Thanks-giving,
New Years, all night long,” he said.
“Young people don’t want to go into this.”
His 23-year-old and 19-year-old sons
work at the diner on weekends and
his brother’s daughter runs the cash
register on Saturdays. But so far, none
of them have plans to continue in the
family business. Still, Kanellos is hopeful.
“I think this diner’s going to be here
a long time,” he said. “Even after me.”
