Beloved South Jersey Airport Diner Suddenly Closes

One of the most unique, beloved diners in South Jersey has served its last plate of bacon and eggs.

"Unique," in this case, was not because of the diner's interior design or some exquisite menu item, although their food was outstanding; this was more about its location -- just a couple of hundred feet from an active airport runway.

For years, diners could watch small planes taxi and take off just a few hundred feet away while enjoying breakfast.

Our travels today take us to Lower Township in Cape May County, where the Flight Deck Diner, right on the grounds of the Cape May Airport, has abruptly closed for good.

Community Reaction Pours In on Social Media

When they shared that news on Facebook Friday morning, the comments were voluminous.

My heart goes out to you and your staff . Flight Deck will always be in our hearts, and we'll miss it dearly . You guys were the best!

Damn, there goes my favorite breakfast spot. Hopefully you guys move to a new location!

This is terrible news! Your food was always great and your prices were always fair but even more importantly your servers and bussers were incredibly friendly and hard-working. There was never an idle hand in the building. Yet they were all pleasant as they scurried to serve the multitude of patrons that were happy to have scored a table at your always-busy restaurant!

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Structural Damage Forces Restaurant to Shut Down

As to why Flight Deck is closing, it's because of the building itself.

According to the diner,

It is with great sadness that I have to tell you all that the FLIGHT DECK DINER is officially closed for good. After the Landlord gathered all their Engineer reports, both structural and electrical, etc., the repair of the building would be millions of dollars to fix, therefore they need to terminate my lease agreement.

According to social media posts, the diner initially closed for a winter break from January 24th through February 6th. On February 3rd, they said, "Due to the cold weather we had a major leak in the top of the old terminal part of the building in an old fire suppression system! There is significant damage therefore we wont be opening Saturday as planned."

An update about ten days later said, "Flight Deck is still closed because of the water damage to the main building."

Now, it appears that the damage from that pipe break was too much to overcome for the building itself.

The diner's owner is asking for assistance from the community in assisting its employees with finding new jobs -- you can visit their Facebook page to help.

Chris Coleman, a South Jersey native, is the brand manager for WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM and afternoon on-air personality on WPUR Cat Country 107.3 in Atlantic City, NJ. He joined the station in February 1998 and covers news, events, and stories of interest across Southern New Jersey for Townsquare Media. Story tips: chris.coleman@townsquaremedia.com