A historic mainstay of the Brookline dining scene is closing its doors–but there might be hope for its resurrection.
The Busy Bee Restaurant and Diner, on Beacon Street near St. Mary’s, closed this week, 56 years after it was purchased by Peter and Frances Christakis.
Their son, Chris Christakis, who has run the restaurant for decades, said that the decision to close the business came after experiencing labor challenges, calling it a “bittersweet, tough choice.”
“My cook in the back couldn’t work anymore,” he said. “And I reached my point. It was time.”
But fans of the diner might not have to go too long without it.
In a note left on the door of the business Friday, the Christakis family, which owns the building, wrote that they are “currently negotiating with a prospective new restaurant tenant.”
And that new spot might end up looking a lot like the Busy Bee, Chris Christakis said.
“We’re looking for somebody to keep it the way it is, keep it similar,” he said, adding that it’s possible the future tenant might not even change the name.
In 2016, Boston Magazine described the diner as “one spot that refuses to budge” in a neighborhood full of rapid gentrification.
“The magic of the establishment comes from the unique, nearly 50-years-strong ecosystem” built and maintained by the family, wrote reporter Leah Mennies. Regulars once included journalist Howie Carr, musician Peter Wolf, and two men, Steve Flemmi and Frank Salemme, who were notorious associates of Whitey Bulger, according to the magazine.
The changes in the neighborhood have only intensified since that article was published; a set of five new restaurants just opened on the same block as the Bee, all of them featuring various type of Asian food like ramen and Matcha ice cream.
Christakis said the restaurant’s clientele were “good people” who made his time working there a great experience.
“They were all friendly and very accommodating and all this. Excellent customers across the board,” he said.
Business was “great” until the end, Christakis said.
“It was tough to close like this, and not to say bye to all of my customers,” he added. “I was hoping for a little more time to get away smoothly, but it just came all of a sudden.”