It was the world’s fastest turnaround. Yellow Diner opened — and closed — in a month-and-a-half, and New York’s Carnegie Diner & Cafe swooped in and took over. Within days, the remodeled bank-turned-diner at 501 Maple Ave. W. was transformed into a mini version of Carnegie Diner’s original New York location, just across the street from the iconic Carnegie Hall.
Carnegie Diner & Cafe Vienna had a soft open over Memorial Day weekend, feeding lots of excited customers.
“It was an accident,” says Carnegie Diner CEO and owner Stathis Antonakopoulos, who jumped at the chance to open a property in Northern Virginia. He says he contacted family friends, the Pagonis family, who owned the newly opened Yellow Diner in Vienna and Nostos in Tysons. Antonakopoulos informed them he was coming to Washington, DC, to look for a restaurant property to buy, and the family offered up Yellow Diner, even though the restaurant had only been open about 45 days.
“We spoke to a lot of customers, and they said, ‘We want a more traditional diner, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.,’ and that’s something we couldn’t offer as a family,” says Yellow Diner owner Emanuel Pagonis. “We couldn’t put that much time into the restaurant with having another restaurant as well. … It just didn’t work out the way we wanted it to.”
Antonakopoulos knew a good opportunity when he saw it and acted quickly.
“I came, I saw, I loved it, and then we had a deal within 10 minutes,” says the Athens native who originally came to New York for college 25 years ago and stayed. “We shook hands on April 20 … and then on May 13 we took over.”
Antonakopoulos and his team immediately sprang into action, ordering roomy booths, as well as other signature décor items found at each of the three other Carnegie Diner locations displays.
“On the walls, we have famous people who performed at Carnegie Hall,” Antonakopoulos says, noting paintings of Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, David Bowie and opera singer Maria Callas.
“We also did a custom-made cloud. This is what you see in every Carnegie Diner in New York.”
On one entire wall is a full-blown photo of the stage at Carnegie Hall, looking out on the audience.
“This is what it’s all about,” Antonakopoulos says. “Our original store, the first one, was exactly across the street from Carnegie Hall and that’s how everything started, with an idea to pay homage to Carnegie Hall.”
Guests will likely be distracted by the 20-or-so cakes and pies screaming for attention at the lighted display case. Cheesecakes, pies, German chocolate cake, baklava and carrot cake are among the alluring temptations the diner will offer. The desserts will be delivered twice weekly from the diner’s New York bakery.
The restaurant will offer hundreds of traditional diner selections and be open every day from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. Think organic eggs, pancakes, organic burgers, pastrami sandwiches, corned beef sandwiches, and organic salads. Diners can order breakfast all day, and once the diner receives its liquor license, enjoy bottomless mimosas and more. A pre-theater prix fixe meal will be offered.
“I know you don’t have Broadway shows, but you don’t have to be in New York to get pre-theater Broadway meals,” Antonakopoulos says. “Now you can be in Vienna and enjoy the price discount and the amazing food.”
The first Carnegie Diner & Cafe opened in December 2019. The diner expanded to another location in Times Square and one in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Antonakopoulos will employ the serving and management team from the Yellow Diner, and he says the diner is hiring. Since the operating hours and days are longer, the restaurant will need more help.
Menus are ready to go, and décor is in the final stages. The staff is waiting on permits before opening. If all goes as planned, Antonakopoulos hopes to expand the Carnegie Diner & Cafe empire to include several more locations in Virginia and DC over the next few years.
“We’re happy to be here. We’re happy to be part of this family in this neighborhood,” he says. “We’re here to prove to everybody that a New York diner can do amazing in the middle of Vienna.”
501 Maple Ave. W., Vienna
Feature image courtesy Dawn Klavon
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