A grand reopening

The Laurel Diner reopens its doors with a ‘classic’ look

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The Laurel Diner, one of Long Beach’s oldest businesses, celebrated its grand reopening on April 17 after four months of extensive renovations.

Both the interior and exterior of the building, at 300 W. Park Ave., received a facelift courtesy of Morris Nathanson Design, resulting in a look that harkens back to classic Hollywood and its close ties to the Laurel movie theater.

The announcement that the restaurant would be reopening was quiet; aside from a post on its Facebook page that day inviting patrons to come down and eat.

“We decided to just open the doors and see what happened,” owner Andrew Loucas said.

The inauspicious start seemed to work well for the Laurel, however, and the eatery was jammed last weekend.

“It was just a madhouse from the moment we opened the door — it was really well received,” Loucas added.

Residents quickly took to Facebook to express excitement over the reopening and congratulate Loucas on the new design. Former state Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg stopped by to wish the restaurant well and gave a short speech.

On Sunday night, a long-time customer of Loucas’s, Bill Cyriax, used the diner to propose to his girlfriend. Cyriax stopped by for breakfast the day before and asked Loucas if he would help him surprise Nikki Arzillo with the proposal.

“I didn’t think we’d become a love-connection place, but it was awesome,” Loucas said.

Cyriax arranged to have a group of his and Arzillo’s friends already sitting at a booth eating appetizers when they arrived, Loucas explained. He cued up the couple’s song, “Leather and Lace,” by Stevie Nicks, at which point Cyriax got down on one knee.

“The place erupted in applause. It was a great, great night,” Loucas said.

He added that some patrons in the standing-room only dining room even started to tear up.

The Laurel closed on Christmas Eve and the renovations began two days later.

“We had been planning it for a number of years and it just came time,” Loucas explained.

The goal was to make the restaurant more efficient while also improving its aesthetic and attracting more customers for dinner. Along with the renovations came a name change — from the Laurel Luncheonette & Restaurant to the Laurel Diner.

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