Ashtyn Asay Budd Lake Diner has abruptly closed its doors after decades at 120 US-46 West in Budd Lake. The Morris County establishment announced the closure on social media on Tuesday, October 6th, which was its final day in business. The announcement did not provide a reason for the sudden closure. Customers were quick to express their surprise and sadness over the news. Here’s what we know.
Budd Lake Diner’s Sudden End
In a statement shared on social media on the evening of Tuesday, October 6th, the restaurant said it was “deeply saddened” to abruptly close its doors. “We are deeply saddened to abruptly close our doors today,” said a post on the Budd Lake Diner Facebook account. “We enjoyed all of our customers for the last 4 & 1/2 years! We appreciate everyone who cared and loved us and our staff.”
Customers expressed shock and sadness in the comments section of the post, with many sharing memories of visits to the longtime Route 46 spot. The closure marks the end of the diner’s four-and-a-half-year run under its most recent ownership. It’s unclear why the restaurant closed, and the New Jersey Girl has reached out to the team for more information and will update this piece when we hear back.
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When a member of the New Jersey Girl team stopped by the diner on Wednesday, October 7th, the Mount Olive Township Fire Marshal was present as an ATM was being removed from the property. A coffee business was also removing coffee machines from the site. As of Wednesday, the Budd Lake Diner’s website was also out of service.
About Budd Lake Diner
Budd Lake Diner has a history stretching back more than four decades on Route 46 in Mount Olive Township. According to a 2018 profile cited by WRNJ, the diner was built by a previous owner around 1981 or 1982 before the Balaskonis and Jelis families purchased the business in 1986. The restaurant’s Facebook page says it has been “serving comfort food and friendly smiles since 1987.”
The Balaskonis and Jelis families operated the diner for 35 years before announcing their retirement in May 2022 and handing the business over to new owners. The new owners continued operating Budd Lake Diner for approximately four and a half years before its closure earlier this week.
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During its most recent run, the diner served breakfast all day alongside a wide-ranging menu of sandwiches, burgers, seafood, and Italian classics. Its closure marks the latest chapter in the long history of the Route 46 establishment, which had been a fixture in the Budd Lake community for more than 40 years.
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