CLERMONT, Fla. – Another long-standing restaurant in Central Florida is closing its doors for good.
Back in September, Papa’s Diner, which has been open for decades, announced it would be closing on social media.
The diner has only had three owners, all of whom have been women.
“I am the third female and first Latin owner,” said Papa’s owner, Brittany Lopez.
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Lopez, who also happens to be a officer with the Clermont Police Department, has owned Papa’s Diner for the last three years.
“I got to know the staff. I was a regular here,” Lopez said. “So I would come here every morning from while I was on duty, and then I got to know the owner and we started talking about buying businesses in Clermont and what would be a good business to buy, and that’s when she said, ‘Hey, I’m going to put this one up for sale.’ She gave me one heck of a deal.”
But now the diner is closing its doors for good.
“We had a long battle with the landlord for over a year and in the end we just could not come to terms with what needed to be done with this place,” Lopez said.
Customers like Homer Harper Jr. filled the restaurant on Saturday.
Harper said he’s lived in Clermont for eight years and that Papa’s has become part of his routine before work.
“Very familiar with the waitresses and everything,” Harper said. “Food is great. Yeah, that’s why I stopped by this morning, before I go to work.”
Lopez said while her customers want Papa’s to reopen somewhere else, she said the location is what makes Papa’s special.
“We’re special because we’re right here where everybody knows that we’re right here,” Lopez said. “Sometimes if you move somewhere else, we lose the regular people that come and it would be a whole new clientele, right? So the people make it special in this location. So we’re not sure if we’re going to move just yet.”
Papa’s last day is set for Nov. 17.
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