PARSIPPANY — More than three years after the Empire Diner served its last meal, the Route 46 property that was home to one of Parsippany’s best-known eateries still has no announced future.
The Empire Diner, formerly known as the Par-Troy Diner, closed for good on Saturday, July 1, after decades of feeding local residents and highway travelers. The diner traced its roots to the years just after World War II, and the building itself was constructed in the mid-1970s by Kullman, the famed New Jersey diner manufacturer.
The closing followed the sale of the property at 1315 Route 46 East to Shree Estates LLC for $3 million. The same investor has purchased several neighboring properties along the highway with an eye toward redevelopment.
Following the sale, the property was marketed by commercial real estate firm RIPCO as a freestanding pad site with a drive-thru. The listing described a 4,800-square-foot building on 1.41 acres, with more than 200 feet of frontage on Route 46, restaurant use permitted and a liquor license available.
Since then, nearby Topgolf and Chick-fil-A have both opened along the corridor, but no redevelopment plan for the diner site has been announced.
Since the Empire closed, Parsippany has been without a diner.
