Beloved diner forced to close its doors after serving Riverdale community since the 1960s

It will be the end of an era when the owner of Blue Bay Restaurant, Spiridon Katechas, closes the doors of his restaurant for good.

News 12 Staff

Nov 28, 2022, 3:11 AM

Updated 746 days ago

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A diner that has been a staple in the Riverdale community for decades will close its doors one last time on Monday.
It will be the end of an era when the owner of Blue Bay Restaurant, Spiridon Katechas, closes the doors of his restaurant for good.
"The landlord raised our rent. We can't afford to backpay what we couldn't back in COVID, so now they raised our rent, the new contract is not up to my standard... But tomorrow the doors will be closing for good, and I don't think I can handle it," Katechas said.
The Blue Bay Restaurant has served the Riverdale community for 48 years.
Residents said they come to the diner every Sunday to close out the weekend.
Katechas added this is not how he imagined his family-owned restaurant would close down.
"I grew up here. I was literally born here. I just can't believe we're closing our doors now," he said.
Blue Bay Restaurant was founded back in the late 1960s by the Katechas family after they immigrated from Greece to the Big Apple.
Katechas said this was the final Sunday they would be open and said his father couldn't handle the feeling of losing what he worked so hard for.
Customers said they were sad to see it come to an end after all these years.
Monday, Nov. 28 is the final day that the Blue Bay Restaurant will be open.
News 12 reached out to the landlord's office for a comment but did hear back from them as of Sunday night.