Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | June 2, 2025 | wbjournal.com ing hours, nevermind a 24-hour model. Furthermore, Clark credits a great part of the decline of 24-hour dining to a very specific realignment within the restaurant industry. "For decades, restaurants always thought that they needed to be open all the time because a consumer or a guest might come to be served," he said. Not anymore. Profitability challeng- es have forced owners to restrict open hours to those most popular in order to maximize revenue, especially cutting hours that, ironically, have become slower due to the very chang- es restaurants made to survive the pandemic: delivery services. "We taught peo- ple how to enjoy restaurant product at home," said Clark. Most restaurants generate between 20% to 25% of their revenue through delivery services, Clark said. COVID made more people more comfortable at home with options like DoorDash and Uber Eats, making or- dering deliverably easier than ever. "All of a sudden, the demand for the 24-hour diner is probably not what it was 10 years ago, 15 years ago, because there's just less people out there," said Clark. e rise in food delivery apps is the number one reason the nation is expe- riencing a decline in 24-hour dining, said George, the Boulevard's owner. Fast-food chains like McDonald's have designated courier parking spots for delivery app drivers. Still, the Boulevard typically needs to While Worcester, once a 24/7 dining pioneer, has almost completely lost its round-the-clock restaurant infrastruc- ture, hope of a resurrection is not out of the picture. A Worcester origin e modern concept of the 24-hour diner has deep foundational roots in the city of Worcester, drawing from the horse-drawn lunch wagons of the 19th century, said Bill Wallace, executive director of the Museum of Worcester. In the late 1800s, Samuel Messer Jones moved his lunch wagon company from Providence to the burgeoning manu- facturing hub of Worcester. Worcester's horse-drawn wagons, which later were shipped throughout the country, were mainly built to feed employees who were newly working third- shi hours as fac- tories began to utilize electricity, staying open at night. "ese horse-drawn lunch wagons, by local ordinance, could park and meet the needs of people," said Wallace. "en they can move on to another location, just as a food truck would today." Bill Wallace, executive director of the Museum of Worcester Steve Clark, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association The Boulevard Diner's 24/7 history While the Boulevard Diner has mostly operated on a 24-hour model, there have been a number of pauses throughout its nearly 90-year history. 1936-1960: Mix between standard and 24 hours 1960s-mid 1980s: 24/7 Late 1980s-1990s: Gradually stopped 24-hour service 2000-March 2020: 24/7 April 2020 to March 2021: Alternated between limited in-person hours and take- out/delivery service only April 2021-2022: 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays 2023: 24 hours on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 2024-present: 24 hours on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with overnight service on Sundays Source: Boulevard Diner e last 24-hour DINER BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer W hat was once the gathering ground for studying college students, bleary-eyed third shiers, and tipsy club-goers alike has been quietly slipping away, as the 24-hour diner has been gradually replaced with round- the-clock fast food options and delivery drivers available at the touch of a button. But in Worcester, a little red-and- beige diner on the city's bustling Shrews- bury Street has stood the test of time. e Boulevard Diner now stands as Central Massachusetts' sole inde- pendently-owned diner operating with any kind of 24-hour model. Opened in 1936, the diner is currently open overnight ursdays through Sundays. As the city's oldest diner, the Boulevard has kept the lights on 24/7 for most of its nearly 90-year run, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed that; and the Boule- vard isn't alone. Between 2020 and 2024, the U.S. lost 18% of its 24-hour restaurants, accord- ing to the business review platform Yelp. Gradually, the travelling wagons became more popular, with more people working late and more people wander- ing the streets aer concerts and events. As the dining carts evolved, they were allowed to become stationary, making them gathering grounds and pillars of their communities, said Wallace. "ey take the wheels off. ey hook up to power … ey grow over time and service a neighborhood need, whether it's outside of a factory or an office area. ey were the go-to spot," said Wallace. e same can be said for Boulevard Diner. While it used to have a number of fellow 24-hour peers such as Miss Worcester Diner and Kenmore Diner, Boulevard still has a steady stream of local late-night eaters who depend on it. "ere's always been a crowd out there late at night," said Boulevard Own- er James George. But there has been one, noticeable hiccup in that trend throughout the diner's history. The COVID effect e COVID-19 pandemic hit the restaurant industry hard. e National Restaurant Association estimates within the first six months of the pandemic, nearly 100,000 restaurants throughout the nation closed either temporarily or permanently. While the height of COVID has passed, its lingering impacts are still felt by traditional restaurants and the 24-hour dining model. In the past five years, the two biggest expenses for restaurants have skyrock- eted: food costs have risen 45% while the price of labor is up 40%, said Steve Clark, president and CEO of the Mas- sachusetts Restaurant Association. Both have presented seismic financial hurdles for restaurants operating standard din- As 24/7 dining slips away, a Worcester staple stands alone PHOTOS | EDD COTE Nickie Beshai, daughter of the Boulevard Diner's owner James George, works the grill.

• Cover