8 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 22, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Photo by Jenna Bagcal/THE COURIER
Shalimar Diner will serve
its last meal after 45 years
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
Th e Karayiannis family has been feeding
the community at Shalimar Diner
since 1974. But next week, the Rego
Park eatery will be shutting its doors
for the fi nal time.
According to Demi Karayiannis, the
wife of co-owner Chris Karayiannis,
rising lease costs forced them to make
the tough decision to close their business.
“It’s very sad, but there’s nothing we
can do about it. Our lease is up and
we can’t aff ord what they’re asking
for,” said Demi Karayiannis. She said
that the last day for the diner at 63-68
Austin St. will be on Sunday, Nov. 25.
Shalimar is the third restaurant that
Chris Karayiannis and his brother
opened since they came from Greece.
“We used to have the Shangri La by
Queens Boulevard and we used to have
the Talk of the Town in Manhasset,”
said Demi Karayiannis.
Karayiannis said that they had been
trying to negotiate a lease with the
landlords, but it “didn’t work out.” It
was reported that their lease would be
up this November, but they had denied
the rumors until now.
Despite the “forced retirement,” in
Karayiannis’ words, she recalls fond
memories from the past 45 years. Th e
diner was used in Martin Scorsese’s
Academy Award nominated fi lm “Th e
Wolf of Wall Street.”
“We have customers here that were
babies in the strollers and now they
come with their babies in the strollers,”
said Karayiannis. “Everybody is very
upset. Everybody’s crying. My phone
doesn’t stop ringing. It’s been like a
family here to everybody.”
Th e 71-year-old grandmother said
that she will use her newfound free
time to spend time with her grandson
who was just born three months ago.
It was reported that Alderton
Associates, the owners of the property,
had not yet fi led their future plans
for property on the Department of
Buildings website.
Shalimar Diner set to close Nov. 25.
Photo: Facebook/New York City Fire Department (FDNY)
Fast-acting fi reman
based in Flushing helps
stop Corona blaze
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
An off -duty fi reman’s quick thinking
help contain a fi re that ignited in Queens
over the weekend.
FDNY Firefi ghter James Lugo of Engine
Company 320, based on Francis Lewis
Boulevard in Flushing, was visiting his
father in Corona on the aft ernoon of Nov.
18 when people started to run into the
street saying that there was a fi re in one of
the other houses.
Lugo, who was off duty at the time,
sprang into action and began to investigate
the situation.
“I went to the house and searched the
fi rst fl oor to make sure no one else was
in there and got everyone out,” said Lugo
on the FDNY Facebook page. “Aft er that,
I went looking for the fi re. It was in the
basement, so I contained it by closing the
door.”
Aft er containing the fi re, Lugo went outside
and found that two people were on the
roof of the home. Lugo grabbed his father’s
ladder and assisted the individuals off of
the house.
“When the truck and engine showed up,
I let them know that the fi re was in the
basement and they were able to get to it
right away,” Lugo said.
Engine Company 316, based in East
Elmhurst, proceeded to extinguish the fi re
by running the hose through the rear basement
door. One fi refi ghter was taken to
a local hospital for non-life-threatening
injuries.
Th e FDNY is reminding the public that
fi res can be contained by closing the door.
For more fi re tips, visit fdnysmart.org.
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