Originally, Bendix temporarily closed in January because of fire and health code violations. Co-owner John Diakakis — who is legally blind and ran the diner — tells Eater that the “building was very, very old,” and that he was trying to update the fire suppression systems since 2020, but that would’ve required a lot of construction for such an old building, which was “almost at this point, falling apart at the seams.” He sums up: “It was just an uphill battle.”
In the fall of 2024, he had to deal with his mother dying and then the city trying to close down the restaurant since it was operating with outdated systems. He tried slimming down the menu to simpler foods like sandwiches and salads, which didn’t go over well for a crowd used to diner pancakes, burgers, and French toast. So, he reverted to cooking with the out-of-code system until the health department forced him to close in January.
Ultimately, Diakakis is looking to sell Bendix because he co-owns it with his two siblings — one of whom was causing issues while he was taking care of his mother, he candidly explains to Eater. The diner opened in 1947, and the Diakakis family took over in 1985.
“If it was just my inheritance and my property,” Diakakis would want to keep the diner going, but “as much as my family owned it, I just always felt like I wanted to go in there and make my living and take care of my children. I’ve always been approachable with the public because it is a unique situation that I’m totally blind and am waiting on people.”
In the summer of 2024, Levi location scouts came to Bendix (which has also been used in movies like Jersey Girl, Boys on the Side, and The Many Saints of Newark) to check out the space. Diakakis noticed that they were looking specifically at the iced tea and condiment fridges. That eventually makes sense when you watch the accompanying Levi’s commercial titled “Refrigerator,” where Beyoncé pulls out a very cold denim shirt from said fridge.
During the actual filming with Beyoncé, Diakakis says that security was very tight. He wasn’t allowed inside the building at the time, and they covered his cell phone camera. “If she had to worry about me taking pictures, she never would have had a picture taken,” he jokes.
Regarding the sale of Bendix, Diakakis tells Eater there have been a few people interested but with “lowball” offers. NorthJersey.com reports that it’s listed for $2.5 million. “I think we’re just going to hang in there and not make any kind of crazy decisions,” he says.
But now that Bendix Diner got some free marketing courtesy of Mrs. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (who is also bringing her Cowboy Carter tour to New Jersey in late May over Memorial Day weekend), here’s hoping that Diakakis can sell off the restaurant and settle into a new life. He’s looking for work and would love to get away from the Northeast winters.
“I will probably try to find some new place to just coexist and just do what I’ve been doing all of my life. Because I do like that whole atmosphere of just having a place with food,” he says, as a blind person working the restaurant floor. “That would be my ultimate goal.”
