Chaffin's Diner on East Broadway is closing on Dec. 15 after selling to the partners behind Phoenix-based Welcome Diner.
Chaffin's owners announced the closing on Facebook this morning, saying that "a great group of people have expressed an interest in our wonderful little restaurant, and it looks like they will be taking over in a few weeks."
Welcome Diner is taking over the space occupied by Chaffin's Restaurant.
Alex Chaffin, the chef-owner of the restaurant, could not be immediately reached this morning.
Welcome Diner chef/owner Michael Babcock confirmed that he and partnerΒ Sloane McFarland are bringing their Southern-inspired diner to the historic building at 902 E. Broadway, which has been home to Chaffin's for 15 years and home to a handful of other diners since it was built in 1964.
Babcock could not estimate when he and McFarland would open the diner. He said they plan to do some "adaptive" renovations in keeping with the building's history.
Babcock said he has been working on the deal with the Chaffin family for months.
Welcome Diner has been in downtown Phoenix since 2012 when Babcock traded life as a food truck chef for the tinyΒ nine-seat cubbyhole at 924 E. Roosevelt St. He and McFarland opened a second restaurant, the cheeky Welcome Chicken + Donuts not far from Sky Harbor International Airport, in November 2014.
Unlike Chaffin's, which is open for breakfast and lunch, Welcome's niche is late night. The Phoenix diner is open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. nightly except Mondays.Β
In its Facebook post, Chaffin's owners praised Babcock's "expertise in the kitchen, he is truly a master chef."
"We just want to express our gratitude for the opportunity to serve our community," the post read. "It truly has been an amazing experience. We love you guys! Thank you!"
