76-year-old diner closes as city neighborhood changes beyond recognition
The iconic restaurant, located in New York 's Meatpacking District, is shuttering on July 18 following challenges after the pandemic and demographic changes within the area.
During its heyday, Hector's was a go-to restaurant featured on various films and television shows and frequented by the local meatpacking workers.
Co-owner Nick Kapelonis revealed the butchers became 'like family' over the years, and crew members from Law & Order became regular customers.
Now, the diner sits across the street from a row of high-end fashion retailers and its business has rapidly declined.
The restaurant is part of a seven-member co-op run by the city, and everyone part of the structure insisted it was 'time to go.'
Kapelonis explained that some of the co-op members plan to retire or move to other areas outside the Meatpacking District while speaking with PIX11 News.
The city plans to have the building become part of an expansion of the Whitney Museum, large offices, and a 600-foot residential tower.
The restaurant was founded during a time when there were 260 butchers and 6,000 employees in the area surrounding the district.
According to Kapelonis, the diner was opened specifically for meatpackers.
The restaurant would be open at 2:00 am in the early days, with its busiest time usually being around 4:00 in the morning.
Now hardly any customers walk in, and Kapelonis was forced to close the restaurant early last Sunday due to a lack of business.
Customers were heartbroken to learn the news about the diner's closure, some calling the eatery the 'last man standing' in the district.
'This was the only place I was really able to afford when working in meat packing. Thanks for yummy meals!,' an Instagram user wrote.
'The only place left in that neighborhood where you don't have to take a loan for dinner,' a commenter added.
'Hectors offered no frills, just quality diner food. So sad to see it go,' a customer responded.
Fans and employees are urging customers to visit as many times as they can before the 18th
Social media users said they thought this district diner would be the one that stood the test of time.
'I really thought this was the one thing in Meatpacking that would stay forever,' a fan wrote.
Architectural photography authors James and Karla Murray were just as heartbroken about the once 24-hour restaurant's shuttering.
'Hector's was able to survive the many changes in the neighborhood/gentrification due in part to the fact that it had a long-term below market lease with the City... We absolutely love their Jumbo Beefburger Deluxe with fries which costs only $15.75,' they wrote.
The Murrays included the dinner in their 2023 book 'Store Front NYC: Photographs of the City's Independent Shops, Past and Present' and have advised everyone to stop by the diner before it's too late.
Hector's is not the only New York landmark restaurant that has shuttered over the years.
Manhattan's iconic La Grenouille restaurant closed last year following rising costs and inflation, and Robert De Niro 's restaurant Tribeca Grill closed in March after 35 years of business.
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