Closing Time: Roxy's Diner to shutter its doors after 72 years
PROSPECT — Waitresses at Roxy's Diner will unplug the coffee maker and turn out the lights for a final time May 9 when the 72-year-old eatery on Route 422 will close for good.
Jacqueline Miller, who's owned the diner since August 2016, said she's heartbroken about it, but “my decision is made.”
“I'm tired. Financially, I've done everything I can, but it's been a constant monthly struggle financially,” she said.
“Everybody thinks when you own a business, you are rich,” she said. “But I have eight employees — waitresses and cooks — that need to be paid.”
Roxy's joins an estimated 7,500 restaurants in the state that will close permanently, mostly because of the coronavirus pandemic, said Stephanie Otterson, director of communications for the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association.The association said there were an estimated 26,000 eating and drinking establishments in the state before the pandemic.“We don't actually know the exact number closed,” Otterson said. “It was based on a Yelp survey during July 2020 COVID-19 restrictions.”Since then, with the easing of restrictions and aid programs such as the federal Restaurants Act and the state COVID Hospitality Industry Recovery Program, Otterson said, that number might be smaller.With the closing of Roxy's Diner, named after the original Roxbury family that ran it, the last business on the site — which, in 1949, also included a motel, service station and garage — will be gone.
Miller, who started at the diner 17 years ago as a waitress, credits the previous owner, Ruth Ann Pagano, with not only giving her a job, but also making her dream come true.Miller and her son walked into Roxy's one day in 2004. After talking to Pagano about a waitressing job, Miller was hired on the spot.She said Pagano took her under her wing and, after about five years, asked Miller to take care of the books for the business.Miller credits Pagano with helping her remain sober for the past 17 years.
“She accepted and loved me, even when I didn't love myself,” Miller said.“I was a bookkeeper/waitress,” Miller said. “I took care of the payroll, ordering and the taxes. I did it for her, so she could come in, do her shift and leave.“I used to ask Ruth if she wanted to sell Roxy's,” she said. “She would always reply, 'Not now, baby girl. When I'm done with it, I will give it to you.'”In 2015, Pagano's health began to worsen, and Miller found herself covering her employer's work shifts more and more.Finally, Pagano asked Miller to step in and manage the diner for her as well as much more.“I took her to the doctor's, the hospital,” Miller said. “I was her personal assistant. She couldn't work when she was on oxygen.”Finally, in August 2016, Pagano handed the business over to Miller, just as she said she would.On Oct. 3, 2016, Pagano died.
For now, Roxy's Diner remains open seven days a week, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays; 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays; 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.“The clientele is very loyal,” Miller said. “I have locals. Some eat in here every day, seven days a week.“I have travelers that go through to fish in Erie or at Moraine, campers,” she said. “I have the people that come for the (Big Butler) Parts-a-rama.”But Roxy's most high-profile customer arrived with a film crew for four days in December 2019.That's when “Game of Thrones” and “Aquaman” star Jason Momoa sat at the diner's counter filming a scene for an upcoming Netflix movie called “Sweet Girl.”A location scout thought Roxy's Diner would be perfect for the scene, but Miller said she at first said no.“They begged me: 'You have the cutest little diner. We want your diner,''' she said. Miller eventually agreed because she thought the movie would be good exposure for prospects.“It was an experience,” she said. “I got to talk to Jason Momoa. I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but I took one when he was sitting at the counter. He caught me taking the picture and leaned back.”Miller and some of her friends were even invited to be extras at PNC Park. Look for them in a scene in which Momoa runs through the crowds and bumps into them.
The pandemic has delayed the release of the revenge thriller, so plans to have a “dinner-and-a-movie” event at the diner have been shelved.Miller has a fake menu with pictures of the actor signed by Momoa framed and hanging at the diner.That will not be up for sale when Roxy's is closed for good.After the closing, Miller said she will take a few weeks to sell the equipment: a grill, deep fryer, freezers, tables and chairs, a rotating dessert case and other restaurant items.Then, Miller said, she will leave her next move in God's hands. “I'm full of gratitude,” she said. “My dream has to end, but I fulfilled my dream through (Pagano) and from her. How blessed am I?”
