Bay Area restaurant permanently closing after 46 years

Dino’s Family Restaurant, a longstanding diner in Fremont, is permanently closing after 46 years.

Owners Toula and Bill Sinodinos shared the news in a Facebook post earlier this month, where they also thanked customers for their support over the decades. Toula told SFGATE that the anticipated closure is Dec. 31.

“It’s just ran its course and we felt that it’s just time to move on,” Toula said. “It’s a different atmosphere, and we need to change along with everything else.”

The post garnered an outpouring of comments from customers who shared memories of eating at Dino’s when they were kids and stories of working shifts at the diner. While the closure is bittersweet for Toula, who worked at the family business from a young age, she said that it’s time to “change with the times.”

Dino’s opened its doors in 1977 under the ownership of Toula’s parents, Gus and Dina Markou, who together converted a former burger joint into the current sit-down diner. Toula recalls working at the family business starting at age 12, when she took on many roles that included kitchen prep work and ringing customer orders.

When the Markous decided to retire in 1989, Toula and her husband Bill took over. Under the Sinodinoses’ ownership, Dino’s hired more staff and expanded with a patio. Over the years, Dino’s was known for its large portions of breakfast staples that included omelets and fluffy pancakes, but also old-timey meals like chicken-fried steak and liver and onions.

“You don’t find that kind of stuff in restaurants right now … and that’s what it was known for back then,” Toula said.

Though customers won’t find the old-school diner next year, there is still a silver lining. The Sinodinoses hope to remodel the space after the closure and eventually reopen under a new concept, which is still in the works.