02/21/2025
To the Flyer community,
On Sunday, February 23rd at 9:00 PM, I will be hanging up my apron and closing the doors on an 80 year legacy. My grandfather, Antonio Rountos, established the first diner in 1940 in Bridgeport. My parents, Perry and Zoy Kokenos, took it over in the 1960s. My father built the second Flyer in Devon in 1973 with his business partner Anthony Rountos. For nearly a century, the diners were full.
I happily spent my childhood working in the Flyer. I felt an immense amount of pride that this place, across multiple generations, was something my family built. I dreamed of all that it could become, and the imprint I could make on it. I enjoyed hearing people’s stories and the fast-paced work environment. I became passionate about cooking and was grateful for the opportunity to take on the Flyer. My wife, Kiki, and I always wanted the Flyer to feel like a home away from home. From the daily specials menu that Kiki typed every morning for 25 years, to the flower beds surrounding the diner, the renovations, and the new pair of work shoes I had to get every six months from being on my feet all day, we never stopped giving the Bridgeport Flyer everything we had.
Over my lifetime of working at the Flyer, I have met so many people I will never forget. I have watched staff fall in love, had a daily coffee with regulars that became family and found people who developed a passion for the diner that lasted until the very end.
Joanne Nunno has been working at the Flyer since 1973. She never missed out on the chance to decorate for the holidays or plant flowers in the gardens. Thank you for your devotion to making the diner a beautiful place. For decades, Tony Desousa has been our head chef and has run an efficient kitchen. We are so grateful for all the delicious meals he has prepared for our customers. To all the employees that have been a part of the Flyer, you are the backbone of this business and a big part of why our doors have been open for so long. Telling you we were closing was one of the hardest parts of all of this. Through both good and bad times, thank you for putting up with me.
I had always assumed that retirement would come when someone was ready to fill my shoes. When I realized that my son and daughter had chosen a different path for themselves, I knew I had to make a bittersweet compromise. The decision to close a multigenerational legacy was not easy. The many years of long hours, early mornings, late nights, working holidays, and not being able to spend much time with my family have really caught up with me. My children now have children of their own, and more than anything, I want to watch them grow up. I held out hope for a while that maybe someone would come to replace me, but eventually I had to accept that all good things come to an end, and she had a hell of a run.
I will always remember those ten-foot sunflowers, planted as a dedication to my mother, Zoy, who never let a season pass without them. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for so many years of friendship and support.
Bridgeport Flyer Diner
1940-2025
“Where friends and family meet.”
Do not go quietly into the night.
Until we meet again,
Dennis and Kiki
