Will This Pig Ever Serve Bacon Again?

From Dave Brigham:

I drive by the long-abandoned Pig 'n' Whistle Diner in Boston's Brighton neighborhood with some regularity. After a recent photo jaunt through neighboring Allston, I stopped to shoot this place. Longtime readers will recall that I featured this former eatery in the early days of the blog (see September 18, 2010, "Pig Out"). If this post served no purpose other than to showcase better photos than the one I took more than 11 years ago, that would be enough. But thanks to a diner guru who I follow on Instagram, and who follows me, I learned some background on this place.

Built in 1952 by Mountain View Diners, an outfit based in New Jersey from 1938 until 1957, this restaurant was first operated as Circle Diner in Watertown Square, according to Richard Gutman, "Curator, Author and Expert on All Things Diner," per his web site. The go-to guy for all things diner, Gutman has written four books on this uniquely American eateries, including American Diner Then and Now and Worcester Lunch Car Company.

In a conversation on Instagram, Gutman said he's not sure when this diner moved to Brighton. It closed unexpectedly in 2002, and has sat abandoned ever since. The original owners have been dead a long time, according to Gutman. Their descendants still own the diner, apparently, and have tried to sell it over the years.

In September 2017, Pig 'n' Whistle owner Robert Zoffreo said he planned to renovate and reopen the diner. Well, that didn't happen. Zoffreo still owns the site, according to the City of Boston's assessing department. Squeezed between a Gulf gas station and a CVS parking lot, this site is small and would likely be difficult to redevelop.

If the diner isn't reopened, the best the world can hope for is that someone buys the building and moves it again. And for God's sakes - save that sign!

Stay tuned....

For more posts about diners, see below:

August 19, 2020, "Nailing a Great Find in Wareham"

January 9, 2020, "Southie Loses More Eateries"

Wednesday, July 28, 2010, "Two Hearts Beat As One"

March 18, 2010, "Eat, Dance & Be Happy"