Deal reached for sale of iconic Geets Diner in Gloucester County

MONROE – A deal has been reached for the sale of the iconic Geets Diner & Bar, the prospective buyers say.

The new owners, with strong ties to the local restaurant scene, plan to continue the Geets Diner legacy, according to Efthimios “Paul” Tsiknakis.

"It’s a landmark location. It’s been there for 85 years," he noted. "That Jersey diner’s going to be there for a very long time to come."

Tsiknakis said his group, currently transferring Geets' liquor license, hope to close its purchase in September.

"My team and I are taking Geets off the market,” he said in an interview.

The 10,000-square-foot business sits on 2.1 acres at the Black Horse Pike and Sicklerville Road.

The diner's listing with Wolf Commercial Real Estate does not show an asking price, but published reports indicate it was $5 million.

Geets Diner history

The diner closed suddenly in 2016 after previous owners filed for bankruptcy protection.

In 2017, a federal bankruptcy court judge authorized the $3.9 million sale of the landmark property to South Jersey native Sandy Cannon. The diner had a grand re-opening in March 2018 and remains open.

“Sandy and I, even through COVID, have been talking about making a deal if they weren’t going to find a buyer,” Tsiknakis said. “They were thinking about selling to a developer, however, I didn’t want to see that iconic diner be demolished and I wanted to continue the Geets name."

Tsiknakis said his team, which includes family members, owns the Monarch Diner in Glassboro "just about 10 minutes" away from Geets.

"It’s easy for me to travel back and forth and help operate the place," he said.

"Sandy’s doing a great job over there," Tsiknakis continued. "She’s going to continue to be part of the group that’s buying the whole project. She’s going to get some more time to spend with her grandchildren that she’s always wanted."

Others listed on the liquor license transfer application include Hristos "Chris" Kolovos and Tim Kalavruzos, the founders of White Lightning Investments.

Both men are attorneys and the sons of restaurateurs.

Kolovos is a managing partner at Lucien’s Manor in Berlin, The Mansion in Voorhees, The Colonial Diner in Woodbury, and Olga’s Diner in Marlton.

Kalavruzos owns multiple businesses in South Jersey, including The Merion in Cinnaminson and has built or owned at least five other catering facilities in the tri-state region, according to White Lightning's website.

Kolovos and Kalavruzos also assembled a group that bought the DoubleTree Hotel in Mount Laurel.

This landmark diner is for salePopular, iconic diner is up for sale in Gloucester County

Geets 'going to be here for generations and generations to come'

Tsiknakis and his team also own Marblehead Chowder House restaurants in Westampton in Burlington County and Pennsylvania. They previously owned the Red Lion Diner in Southampton, which is now the proposed site of a Wawa.

“That was obviously a decision we had to make during COVID,” said Tsiknakis, who said if it had happened at a different time, he doesn’t believe Red Lion would’ve met the same fate.

For the Geets deal, Tsiknakis joined with a familiar business partner.

“I partnered up again with one of my first partners in this business, Chris Kolovos and his team,” Tsiknakis said. “He owns several properties in South Jersey and Pennsylvania as well."

"We’re getting a group together just to continue to try to save diners in the area and continue the diner legacy in New Jersey. That’s our game plan…All the old folks are retiring and the kids don’t want them.”

He said the group recently purchased the Limerick Diner in Limerick, Pennsylvania, “revitalized it,” and now it’s “a key piece in that community.”

“That’s what we’re looking to continue Geets to be,” he added. “My team is here to save the diner and it’s going to be here for generations and generations to come.”

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