GLOVERSVILLE — The Travers Diner which is normally open seven days a week has been closed for several days, with only a note written on a dry erase board posted at the door for the duration of that time reading “closed for the day, please come see us tomorrow” as explanation.
Travers Diner located at 342 S. Kingsboro Ave. Ext. lists operating hours of Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., but has remained closed since at least Monday with blinds on the restaurant’s windows lowered and the interior visibly dark through the front door.
The reason for the diner’s closure or a timeframe for when it would reopen is unclear with several calls earlier in the week to the owner, George Kakavelos, going unanswered. He declined to comment when reached on Thursday, saying, “I will call you when I’m ready.”
An official from the state Department of Health, Erin Silk, said the agency did not close the facility, but had cited the restaurant following a complaint inspection conducted on July 6 when the diner’s walk-in cooler was found to not be working.
“The facility was cited for not having enough properly operating refrigeration and for improperly trying to operate their walk-in freezer as a walk-in cooler by turning it off and on. The facility was instructed to operate on a limited menu until the walk-in cooler was repaired,” Silk said by email Thursday.
Additionally, city Fire Chief Thomas Groff confirmed on Wednesday that his department investigated an incident at the diner, but said he could not comment on the occurrence or when the matter took place.
Groff said the fire department’s investigation was complete and he did not know if there was a connection between the incident and the closure of the restaurant.
Kakavelos owns Travers Diner through the holding company Georgios Saratoga Foods LLC. According to Fulton County property tax records Kakavelos acquired the property on Nov. 20, 1995, the property was transferred to the holding company in 2005. Minutes from the July 7, 2015 city Planning Board meeting name Kakavelos as the property owner.
