Boogie Weinglass, a 73-year old, is now closing up shop at his famous Aspen dine, “Boogie’s Diner.” Portrayed in the 1982 movie “Diner” by Mickey Rourke, Weinglass has been operating the second-floor diner for 28 years. The diner building was initially greeted by criticism from some Aspen residents who stated that it looked out of place. However, it quickly became an Aspen fixture and is famous for its decent prices, good burgers, healthy fare and even delicious and overly-generous milkshakes.
While many locals are sad to see the diner close, Weinglass stated that “I’ve been there 28 years, and I want to retire…There’s no one really there to run it.” He has recently signed a $27.5 million contract to sell the high-profile building in downtown Aspen to a New York City billion-dollar real estate conglomerate. He does not believe the new owners wish to run the diner, which has since closed. However, the ground-floor operation is going to remain open for at least the next year.
Though met with some sadness, Weinglass sees the sale to the New York developer as a positive thing. He states, “I feel good about it.” However, he did recall that “people who worked there, for some it was their first job. I’m going to miss it.” He now spends seven months out of the year away from Aspen and is currently in Florida. Though he is happy to retire and move on, Weinglass did state that in a year’s time “If my kids show an interest, or the new manager thinks it’s going well, I’ll look into a lease” on the ground-floor clothing store. Despite this, he does conclude that “all good things come to an end” and is happy to move on. The property is currently set to close at the end of April.