A well-known diner in Bergen County was forced to close its doors last week due to a health and safety violation.

Located on Route 17, Bendix Diner has been a community staple in Hasbrouck Heights for more than 30 years. But on Friday, customers noticed it was closed and taped off by the Department of Health.

John Diakakis co-owns Bendix Diner with two of his siblings. He's blind but says he knows almost every inch of the place, which has been in his family since 1985.

He said countless celebrities have visited over the years. The diner has even been seen in TV shows and movies.

"We've had Jerry Seinfeld with ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.’ We've had Micheal J. Fox, with a Toyota commercial, ‘Back to the Future,’ Whoopi Goldberg with ‘Boys on the Side,’” Diakakis said.

However, the diner has been due for an upgrade to the kitchen's fire safety system since 2019. Diakakis told News 12 that more than a dozen contractors have checked it out, but due to the complexity of the issue, none could help.

"It was more than putting the system in. The building has a lot of problems, from hoods to structural," he said.

When Diakakis did find someone who would take on the task, he said, "The building department did not approve what he wanted to do."

The Heath Department closed Bendix Diner and took away his food license.

"I don't want to say goodbye. I just hate those words you know," said Diakakis.

He says if the diner has to close, he plans on moving to a different state to open a new one.