As a beloved, decades-old diner in Quincy, Massachusetts, prepares to close its doors for the last time, the restaurant's owner calls the decision "bittersweet."
The Wheelhouse Diner has been in business for nearly eight decades on Hancock Street in North Quincy. LeeAnn McDonough, who has owned it for 13 years, says she is closing the business on June 30 amid a dispute with a new landlord and overwhelming repair costs on the aging building.
"I knew eventually this day was going to come," McDonough said. "I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. But it's just sad. It's the end of an era. This place means a lot to a lot of people."
The Wheelhouse is known for its breakfast and lunchtime classics, and perhaps even more the laid-back atmosphere customers have come to love.
During McDonough's 13 years owning the diner, she's made lifelong bonds with customers, whom she says are more like family to her. All four of her kids have worked at the Wheelhouse.
"I love my customers," she said. "I came into this thinking it was just income, it was just a job. But I spent 13 years working for them. This place is theirs. It's not mine."
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McDonough promised that the Wheelhouse Diner will eventually have a new life, in another form, after the June closure.
An attorney for the property owner's told NBC10 Boston that the owner's relationship with McDonough deteriorated over issues relating to payments, but said the company was glad that an agreement could be met for a wind-down period.
McDonough said she was sure she'll be going out with a bang, and was expecting an "emotional rollercoaster" during the next month.
See the video at the top of this story for more.
