A long-time diner in town is coming under new ownership.

Pal’s Diner in Cascade Township, at 6503 28th St. SE, is in the process of passing the torch.

Owners Barry Brown and Sam Brown have sold their restaurant to the owners of Family Friends Veterinary Hospital, which is next door to the diner.

“We’ve let their patients park in our parking lot before when it gets crowded,” Barry Brown said. “It’s good for them, because they want to expand their business, but they also want to keep things they way they are here.”

The Browns are in the process of interviewing people for management positions.

Though Barry Brown assures customers that the new owners want to run Pal’s Diner like it always has, he also said that some possible managers may want to expand business hours. The Browns always closed on Sunday, something that may change depending on new management.

The Browns will still be on board until Oct. 1, after which they will officially hand over the keys and move on to retirement.

Pal’s Diner has enjoyed a thriving business. Just in the last few months, business rose 25 percent. Barry Brown attributed this rise to millennials moving away from chain restaurants and toward more traditional home cooking.

Pal’s Diner

Pal’s Diner was built in 1954 in Mahwah, New Jersey.

The third owners, Barry Brown and Sam Brown, moved the building, in one piece, to Grand Rapids in 1993 and re-opened in 1996.

The classic 1950s-style diner has appeared in numerous entertainment media. Rock-and-roll star Meatloaf completed a music video at the diner, and it can also be seen in the 2012 movie “Touchback.”