The popular Flight Deck Diner at Cape May Airport in Lower Township announced Friday it has been forced to close permanently due to damage from the recent extreme cold.
The former terminal building, which housed the diner for the past 16 years, had a burst pipe, leading to the temporary closure of the restaurant on Feb. 3.
“It is with great sadness that I have to tell you all that the Flight Deck Diner is officially closed for good,” owner Chrissy McMullan wrote in a social media post Friday.
“After the landlord gathered all their engineer reports, both structural and electrical, the repair of the building would be millions of dollars to fix, therefore they need to terminate my lease agreement,” she said.
The news drew more than 1,000 responses from customers in just the first two hours.
“Due to cold weather we had a major leak in the top of the old terminal part of the building in an old fire suppression system,” McMullan said.
The diner, which is adjacent to the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum, was a popular year-round breakfast and lunch spot for locals and tourists.
Model aircraft hung from the ceiling and the window seats overlooked the runways. The wall behind the service counter was covered with law enforcement and military patches.
The Flight Deck Diner was featured in NJ.com food lists including the “37 great Jersey Shore restaurants you’ve never heard of” and “Local summer bucket list.”
McMullan thanked customers and staff in her announcement, calling supporters “family” and praising employees for their patience during the situation.
McMullan is now helping her former staff find new employment.
She’s also asking anyone with open positions for cooks, dishwashers, hostesses, waitresses, or bussers to contact her through private message via Facebook.
