EDGEWATER — Neighborhood residents curious about the mysterious closure of Deluxe Diner at 6349 N. Clark St. now have an answer: it's becoming a Cozy Corner pancake house.
Records show Deluxe Diner failed at least one routine health inspection in May, and in June a health inspector was sent to the restaurant after someone filed a complaint. In those cases, inspectors found live roaches in the main food prep area, in an ice machine and under the microwave.
According to city health records, although on June 15 Deluxe was given the green light to begin serving customers again, the owners did not renew their business license after it expired just two months later on Aug. 15.
A sign taped to the diner's windows said it would be closed for maintenance beginning June 29 "until further notice," but by that time, wheels were already in motion to transform the restaurant.
Building permits were issued on June 9, just days before one of the failed health inspections.
The restuarant will get a total renovation, including its exterior, electrical and plumbing systems, trash disposal and more.
The license for Maria's Subs, an adjacent shop with the same owners, also expired Aug. 15 and was not renewed either. The interior of the sub shop appeared to be gutted and completely empty.
Cozy Corner lists a new location in Edgewater at the 6349 North Clark spot as "coming soon."
It will make the chain's third location, with two others in Logan Square and Hermosa Beach.
The mystery may now be solved, but earlier this summer customers began wondering what was really up with Deluxe.
As early as July, customers began posting on Deluxe's Facebook page, asking if they were still open citing a "closed" label on Yelp.
Another person who wrote they discovered something was amiss when GrubHub was no longer accepting orders on Sept. 1 asked, "Do we need to come up there and spend some money in person to help?"
Yet the diner's social media account has been inactive since April and messages to its page from DNAinfo have gone unanswered. No one appeared to be at the store Tuesday evening.
Its website still lists open hours.
Deluxe Diner's parking lot is blocked off, but behind it a truck sits appearing to be filled with debris. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
The interior of adjacent Maria's Subs, whose business license also expired. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
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