Empire Diner reopened under executive chef Jestin Feggan of Cafeteria, a Chelsea favorite for over two decades, and its managing partner Stacy Pisone in April 2017.

[1] Situated at 210 Tenth Avenue, on the corner of West 22nd Street in Chelsea, Manhattan, it was closed and nearly abandoned in 1976 when new owners Jack Doenias, Carl Laanes, and Richard Ruskay renovated "the former greasy spoon on then-grungy 10th Ave. and turned it into the landmark restaurant [that] [...] became a major force in the Chelsea Renaissance that allowed art galleries, hotels, and other restaurants to replace the machine shops, gas stations and auto parts stores that then dominated the landscape.

[3] The three partners painted "EAT" in large letters on a wall behind the diner, put in a miniature, stainless steel, a stylized outline of the Empire State Building on a corner of the roof, and replaced the Formica tabletops and counters with black glass.

[4] The Empire Diner became a popular success, appearing as a New York magazine cover story, "The New Great-Looking Dining Places: Is the Food as Good as the Design?

"[5] Its menu included traditional American fare, but also such signature dishes as "Jack's chili sundae" and pigs in a blanket made with Vienna sausages and biscuit dough.

"[6] Following the deaths of Ruskay (d. March 16, 1992)[4] and Doenias, Laanes sold the operation to executive chef Mitchell Woo, who had been with the diner since 1980, and general manager Renate Gonzalez, who had joined in 1986.

The physical structure was scheduled to be taken over under a new name by restaurateurs Carolyn Benitez, Charles Milite, and Eric Petterson of the Gotham City Restaurant Group, under a 15-year lease.

"[13] The restaurant reopened under the name Empire Diner, under executive chef Amanda Freitag, in January 2014;[14] at first, it served only dinner, and later expanded to offering a lunch menu.

[15] The Empire Diner was frequented by celebrities including Meryl Streep and her then partner, John Cazale, Josh Brolin,[16] Minnie Driver,[16] Ethan Hawke,[16] Madonna,[10] Julia Roberts with then-boyfriend Benjamin Bratt,[16] Steven Spielberg,[10] Barbra Streisand,[10] and Kate Winslet.

[16] It was not universally loved, however: A Village Voice critic wrote near the end of the diner's run that, "The building itself is deservedly beloved, but the restaurant's surly service and way overpriced, completely unremarkable grub mean that the only thing we'll miss is the upright piano.