Bridgeview owner hopes to pass the torch to new diner operator

The rumors of its sale have been greatly exaggerated.

Local residents have taken to social media in fear (and with conviction) that the Ridge’s longstanding Bridgeview Diner, on Third Avenue at 91^st Street, will soon shutter.

Among the rumors posted on Facebook as fact are that the decades-old eatery will be taken over by everything from a pharmacy to a supermarket to an iHop, with some even declaring the spot a soon-to-be Applebee’s.

These claims, owner Gus Panteleakis said, have no basis in fact.

“There will be no Applebee’s,” he said, adding that, while he is in talks with “three or four” potential buyers, “Bridgeview is not going to close, no matter what.”

Panteleakis – a Ridge resident for more than 50 years – told this paper that, however ready he is to pass the torch, he aims to give it to someone who will keep the Bridgeview Diner open for business.

“We haven’t made a decision yet,” he said, “but it’s not going to be any of those things.”