Its location was later used by the chain stores Abercrombie & Fitch, then Citizens Bank and, as of 2021[update], a CVS Pharmacy.

A large map, studded with pins, covered the back wall of the diner and claimed to pinpoint the origins of postcards from customers over the years.

In keeping with the informal atmosphere of the diner — where the cooks, including Tom Sweet, who managed The Tasty on the graveyard shift until the summer of 1976, and chef Charlie Coney — were sometimes compared to bartenders and frequently chatted with customers.

[3] The Tasty was often referred to in the press as a "local landmark"[4][5] or "institution",[6][7] and was immortalized in film during a scene in Good Will Hunting.

[9] Despite having brought considerable evidence attesting to the historical value of the diner and the important social role it played in Harvard Square, the supporters of the Tasty did not prevail; however, the Cambridge City Council required that the distinctive entrance to the Tasty be preserved, giving it landmark status, and it remains unmodified today.

The Tasty's closure is considered a side effect of gentrification; the small, confined space of the Tasty, its prices (far lower than any other restaurant in the Square at the time of its closing) and friendly neighborhood atmosphere attracted patrons from all socio-economic strata and contrasted, in many ways, with the more upscale stores and restaurants emerging — and transforming — the Harvard Square community.