The Lost and the Found

Jane Doe could have been at the Penrose Diner.


https://www.philly.com/news/penrose-diner-hour-overnight-wawa-20181230.html

Penrose Diner ends 24-hour service as the round-the-clock world shifts
by Michael Klein, Updated: December 30, 2018



Penrose Diner in South Philadelphia will end its 50-year tradition of 24-hour operation at 11:59 p.m. Monday, reflecting changes among not only its customers but also the workforce in general.

“The people in the 21-to-25 range are just not going out the way they used to,” Bill Dovas, an owner, said Sunday. The Penrose, at the intersection of 20th Street and Penrose and Packer Avenues, came to fame in a different era, benefiting from traffic off the Platt Bridge.

“When they go out to the clubs, they’re afraid to drive and don’t want to pay for an Uber both ways," Dovas said.

The Penrose’s hours will be 6 a.m. to midnight daily starting New Year’s Day. Dovas said the shorter hours would allow the diner to focus on quality and consistency. He said staffing also was a problem because “my longtime employees were getting tired.”