North Yorkshire diner sold by owners who built it 26 years ago

Diner 168, a roadside restaurant close to the town of Thirsk in North Yorkshire, has been sold by the family who bought the land and developed the establishment 26 years ago.

Christie & Co sold the freehold interest of Diner 168 off an asking price of £395,000. The site has been purchased by Cliff Court Developments, a local developer which specialises in refurbishing sites and letting them to corporate tenants. The firm plans to undertake a significant refit of the site and have an agreement in place for Starbucks to occupy it once complete.

Diner 168 is well established having been operating since 1992 and provides capacity for up to 60 covers, plus a 45 space car park. Located between the A19 and the A1, the previous owners bought the land specifically for the diner, and built the site from scratch, managing Diner 168 successfully and profitably since its inception.

Now looking to retire, Peter and Sandie Gordon said: “It is with a heavy heart we say goodbye to our diner – this business has been our focus for the last 26 years. We’ve just welcomed our second grandchild into the world and our want to retire and spend more time with the family has heightened! We’d like to thank our loyal team of staff and equally loyal customers for their help over the years and wish everybody all the very best for the future.”

Developer CCD added: “We have rolled out a number of these schemes now and the response has been great. Diner 168 is in an ideal location – we use this road a lot ourselves and know how busy it gets. We’re sure our tenants will trade very well from the unit once the refurbishment is complete.”