American roadside diner closes after 26 years
Dafydd LawrieA roadside American diner that has served motorists and travellers for more than quarter of a century has permanently closed after its lease was not renewed.
Director Dafydd Lawrie said the closure of OK Diner, on the A19 near Hartlepool, had nothing to do with trade and the last few weeks had been very busy with regular customers coming in after hearing about the imminent closure.
He said the company's lease had expired and bosses had been "unable to find another suitable roadside location", meaning 10 staff have been made redundant.
Ron Perry, the owner of the A19 services, said it was "time to move on" due to a new business coming in soon.
Lawrie said: "We have been there for 26 years and it is just one of them things, it is out of our hands.
"It is so sad. I have had to make 10 redundancies but fortunately nearly all of them have now got jobs."
He did not rule out a return to Teesside in future and said: "Never say never, I am looking at other locations."
Perry said: "We'd like to thank all of our customers past and present and hope they'll support us in the future.
"An announcement on the new offering in the same building will be made in due course."