It seems the Eat Rite Diner might not be closed for good.
Friday afternoon, Dorcas Powers, wife of Eat Rite owner L.B. Powers, told 5 On Your Side that the family is working on a plan to reopen the iconic greasy spoon.
“We see the need, and the people want it. And we do, too. So we hope that it will work out where we’ll be able to be open again,” the 82-year-old said.
The restaurant, located just south of Busch Stadium along the historic Route 66 at Chouteau and 7th, closed abruptly last Sunday night. Since then, the diner has seen an outpouring of community support, including donations totaling $1,700 so far in a GoFundMe campaign.
The Powers family says they're humbled by the community reaction, but they say the closure wasn't about money or the broken exhaust fan.
The biggest issue is staffing, Powers says. The team is down to just four employees for the 24-hour operation, and help appears to be on the way. A family friend has volunteered to step in and take some of the workloads off the Powers family.
“Because there was such an outpouring of the community about us closing, he said ‘Is there any way I can help you stay open?’ and my husband said, ‘Well maybe so.’”
Right now, there’s no timeline on when the timeline will reopen, but Powers hopes it’s soon.
