Feeling nostalgic about the abrupt March closure of Silver Spring’s historic Tastee Diner? An auction this week is letting fans take home a piece of the railcar-style spot, which operated for 77 years.
The auction, held by Rasmus, is now live and will run through Wednesday, May 17. Up for the taking: a framed drawing of the diner; a sign reading “Mind your own biscuits, and life will be gravy”; and a vintage cash register.
The diner’s laminate-top dining tables and red vinyl-lined chairs, as well as its patio furniture, are for sale, too. You can also bid on bench and booth seating, dinnerware, colanders, and syrup dispensers. There’s plenty of cooking equipment on offer, including a meat slicer, fry cutter and fryer, flat-top grills, hand sinks, and saute pans and stock pots with some…visible use, to say the least.
After opening in 1946, the Silver Spring location of Tastee Diner was forced to close in 1988 to make way for the Discovery Communications Complex, and in 2000, the original dining car was moved to its final location at 8601 Cameron Street.
Real estate firm Roadside Development purchased the diner and plans to incorporate the 800-foot structure into a mixed-used residential and retail development. Sister locations in Bethesda and Laurel remain open.
