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August 9, 2024

70-year-old Olympia Diner in Newington listed for sale

Capture Visual Marketing The Olympia Diner at 3413 Berlin Turnpike in Newington.
By Andrew Larson

An iconic diner in Newington that has been featured in movies and has hosted everyone from politicians to truck drivers over seven decades is for sale.

The Olympia Diner at 3413 Berlin Turnpike is available for sale or long-term ground lease, according to a real estate listing.

For now, the diner remains open. The family that owns the diner declined to comment.

The Olympia Diner sits on a 1-acre property along a busy section of the Berlin Turnpike, near the corner of Pane Road. The location could be ideal for a drive-thru restaurant, as it has double curb cuts, or an auto repair shop, according to the listing. 

The diner was owned for many years by Emmanuel “Manny” Gavrilis and his wife Efrosini “Florence” Gavrilis.

Manny Gavrilis worked at the diner after immigrating to the United States from Athens, Greece in 1966. In 1974, he and his wife bought the restaurant. They owned it together until his death in 2001. 

Efrosini Gavrilis, who has family in the area, is listed as the current owner.

The business grew under the Gavrilis family’s ownership, and in 1986, they added a dining room, doubling the diner’s square footage.

The diner has been featured in films, including scenes from “Jacknife,” starring Robert De Niro, and “Promises in the Dark,” starring Marcia Mason. 

In 2009, the diner was the backdrop for a scene in “Once More With Feeling” starring Drea de Matteo.

The Olympia Diner was built by New Jersey-based Jerry O'Mahony Diner Co. and was originally located in Massachusetts. The metal building was transported to Newington in 1954.

Before being acquired by the Gavrilis family, it was owned by the Kritikos and Goulias families for 10 years each.

Facing increased competition, diners have been on the decline for decades.

Another diner is set for development in nearby Wethersfield. 

A Plainville development group plans to demolish the Wethersfield Diner on the Silas Deane Highway and build a new mixed-use retail and residential building on the site.

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