An American classic, the diner has slowly been disappearing.

Sadly, I think it is a trend,” Cornell University Hospitality Professor Christopher Gaulke told Fox News.

He sees diners facing a number of problems.

“With fewer customers in the dining room, plus all these other costs increasing, fewer people wanting to work — it just doesn’t make economic sense,” he added.

Diners closing has been part of a larger trend impacting restaurants.

“More than 10% of restaurants in the United States have closed permanently since the coronavirus pandemic began last March, foodservice research firm Datassential said,” Nation’s Restaurant News reported.

Diners have suffered with Denny’s closing over 150 locations, and a number of classic establishments in New York and across the country closing.

These changes have hit Village Inn, a classic American diner-style breakfast and lunch chain, especially hard.

Village Inn has closed more than 110 restaurants

Coffee shops and food delivery have chipped away at the demand for diners.

On a personal note, 34 years ago, my future wife and I went on our first date to see a movie. Afterward, there were no Starbucks around, but an all-night diner on Long Island, in New York, offered drinks and a large menu. These experiences highlight how diners have long served as informal social hubs in American life.

Village Inn had no Long Island locations, and its restaurants do not operate 24/7, but it offers the traditional diner breakfast-all-day fare, along with a classic lunch menu.

The chain has been suffering and has closed about 100 restaurants nationwide. It has not announced mass closures like Denny’s. Instead, patrons at individual locations that have operated for decades have shown up to find signs indicating closures.

“This location has permanently closed,” a sign at the south Denver metro restaurant reads, according to a Facebook Post. “We want to extend out sincerest appreciation to you, our guests, and our incredible employees for all of the years of operation. After all, it takes a village. We hope to see you at one of our nearby locations to dig into something delicious.”

Village Inn filed for bankruptcy in 2020

The diner chain closed 33 locations after its parent company’s 2020 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, according to documents filed on PacerMonitor.

At the time of the filing, the American Blue Ribbon, which owned Village Inn, blamed “high wages and growing competition for declining sales and higher operating losses,” NRN reported. The chain specifically cited IHOP and Denny’s, two chains that have also closed significant numbers of restaurants in recent years, as competition.

The company did survive its Chapter 11 filing.

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“The confirmation of the Plan by the Court results in a healthy capital structure and foundation for each of the businesses to optimize their value,” American Blue Ribbon Holdings CEO Craig Barber said in a statement to NRN.

Village Inn continues to operate, but has closed roughly half of its more than 210 locations since the Chapter 11 filing.

Diners typically serve breakfast all day.

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Village Inn closings: Basic facts

• Jan. 24, 2020: Around 24 Village Inn locations abruptly shut (locked doors reported to employees) in multiple states including AZ, CO, FL, IA, UT, NE, and NM ahead of the bankruptcy filing, reported Restaurant Business.
• Jan. 27, 2020: Parent company American Blue Ribbon Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed 33 restaurants across Village Inn and Bakers Square as part of reorganization, according to Restaurant Business.
• Post‑bankruptcy Sept. 14, 2020: Village Inn emerged from Chapter 11 with about 140 locations under reorganized parent VIBSQ Holdings LLC, according to NRN.
• 2021: VIBSQ Holdings (Village Inn + Bakers Square) was sold to BBQ Holdings, Inc., shifting brand ownership and strategy, according to Restaurant Dive.
• 2022 and 2023 closures: Individual restaurants continued to permanently close, such as the Grand Junction, CO, site in Jan. 2023 and the last Casper, WY, location closing in Oct. 2023, reported 94.1 KIX Country.
• 2024-2025 footprint: A brand data report lists 112 U.S. Village Inn locations as of late 2025, down from 116 in early 2024, indicating ongoing net closures, according to data from Scrape Hero.
• Jan. 2026 closures: Two additional Village Inn restaurants in Colorado (Highlands Ranch & Greeley) closed, reported K99.

Since reaching its peak of more than 220 locations, Village Inn has gradually reduced its footprint to 111 restaurants as of late 2025, with incremental closures in multiple states over the past five years.

Diners hold a special place in American culture

Guy Fieri has visited hundreds of diners on his Food Network show, “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.” He has also helped redefine the category.

Fieri himself described the restaurants that his show visits in an interview with CBS News.

“A lot of these mom-and-pop joints are the fabric of the community,” Fieri said. “You know, these are places the kids got jobs, these are places where you got engaged, these are places where you had your great memories, these are places that you went and got a gift certificate as a donation to your kid’s soccer team.”

Historian Richard Gutman shared his thoughts on the historical importance of diners.

“Over their long history, diners have been a subtle part of our built environment and also our inner landscapes. They are as familiar as the language we speak and the comfort food we eat. Everyone loves diners,” he wrote.

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