30 DECEMBER 7, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
BUZZ
Court Square Diner keeps it all in the family in LIC
BY ANGELA MATUA
AMATUA@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@ANGELAMATUA
Steve Kanellos has been running
the Court Square Diner in Long
Island City with his brother, Nick,
since 1991.
The diner, a neighborhood staple at
45-30 23rd St., has been feeding hungry
New Yorkers since 1946. While
many diners in the state have been
shutting down, Kanellos thinks that
the Court Square Diner will thrive for
years to come.
Kanellos, who was born in America
but lived in Greece from the ages of 5
to 15, grew up working in the restaurant
industry. When his family moved
back to Astoria and he began attending
Long Island City High School, he
worked at local restaurants to make
extra cash.
Though he majored in computer
programming at St. John’s University
to try to avoid staying in the industry,
Kanellos and his brother bought a
coff ee shop in Long Island City aft er he
graduated. Bebe’s at 39th Avenue and
21st Street was the duo’s fi rst venture.
Aft er a few years, the brothers sold it
and purchased the Court Square Diner.
“Back then we didn’t even know what
Long Island City was,” he said. “People
from Astoria didn’t know what Long
Island City was.”
The diner was busiest on weekdays
for lunch and diner and “dead” on
weekends. But as the crowds got
younger and more residential buildings
and hotels started popping up,
things shift ed.
“Through the years it changed,” he
said. “Now, sometimes it’s even busier
at night. The weekends are extremely
busy. It became more like a normal
diner.”
Kanellos works 80-hour weeks
and oversees most of the operations
with his brother since there are no
Nick and Steve Kanellos have owned Court Square Diner in Long Island City since 1991.
managers. The secret to their success
is the duo’s fl exibility and their willingness
to change.
Their most popular dishes are
the Souvlaki platter and dishes like
tuna and chicken melts and burgers.
Though they frequently change the
menu, they do not 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 envelope
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 nonprofi t.
In addition to loyal customers, the
diner 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.
Photos by Angela Matua/QNS
Shows like “Jessica Jones,” “Gotham,”
“Gossip Girl” and “Person of Interest”
have all fi lmed 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
fi rst got the place.”
Since the diner is open 24/7, Kanellos
works on Thanksgiving, New
Year’s and other holidays. He’s had
to scale back on allowing movies and
fi lms 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 Kanellos 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
Thanksgiving, New Year’s, 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 Nick Kanellos’ 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 aft er me.”
1-718-821-1040
58-44 Catalpa Ave.
(off Forest Ave.)
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 7am-6pm
Sat., 7am-5pm
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