Center City Diner Closes Its Doors

A beloved 24-hour diner that has been a Center City fixture for almost forty years closed its doors for the last time yesterday evening, on Memorial Day. Little Pete’s, which was opened by brothers Pete and John Koutroubas in 1978, was shuttered to make way for the Hyatt Centric Hotel. The brothers celebrated the holiday, along with the restaurant’s closing, with a block party that lasted from 11 in the morning until  3 in the afternoon yesterday.

Little Pete’s, a 24-hour diner that was a Center City staple, closed its doors yesterday to make room for a hotel.

The diner, which was located along S. 17th Street at Chancellor Street, said goodnight at 9 p.m. last night. The eatery was a staple for late-night diners, who often came to Little Pete’s after special events. As a 24/7 diner, it was one of the last of its ilk in Center City. The recent closing of Midtown II and other similar restaurants in recent years have left downtown with a void when it comes to traditional food at nontraditional hours.

The last day of business was a bittersweet one for Little Pete’s customers, who stopped by for one last meal and commemorated years of good times had at the diner. Co-owner John Koutroubas says that his plans for the future include visiting his ancestral homeland of Greece for a few months and then getting back to work, possibly at Little Pete’s Fairmount location, which will remain open. In the meantime, Koutroubas would not rule out the possibility of another diner in the future. “Yes, there could be,” Koutroubas told NBC 10. “Never say no.”

“I’ve been here 39 years, since day one, since we opened. I connected to the community. I know a lot of the customers that have been coming here for a lot of years. It’s a very sad day,” Koutroubas told ABC 6, noting that many of the diner’s patrons were like family.

One thing is for sure: Little Pete’s will be missed.