Community Corner

Fire Destroys Popular Bensalem 50s Diner

Flames engulfed the Nifty Fifty diner located on Street Road Friday morning.

A two-alarm fire has rendered the popular throwback diner Nifty Fifty's a 'total loss,' according to Bensalem battalion chief Robert Sponheimer.

Sponheimer told media during a short statement that the fire began smoldering in the ceiling at approximately 6:45 a.m. Friday and quickly spread to the second floor and roof. By approximately 8:15 a.m., the flames had been placed under control, but the damage had been done. 

Co-owner Leo McGlynn told press that he had been driving on I-95 when an employee called him about the fire. By the time he had arrived on scene at 7:30 a.m., flames fully engulfed the building.

The diner opens at 6 a.m., and McGlynn said there were approximately 8 to 10 employees and 15 customers in the restaurant when smoke started to appear.

"The employees grabbed an extinguisher and tried to put it out," said McGlynn. "By then it had climbed higher into the ceiling and it was too late."

Sponheimer said there were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and an investigation is under way.

Street Road has been closed between Knights and Mechanicsville as firefighters continue to work the scene. Emergency vehicles began clearing the area at 9:30 a.m.

The Nifty Fifty's diner in Bensalem has been part of the Street Road landscape for approximately 18 years, said McGlynn. It is one of five branches, with the next closest located at Grant Avenue on the Roosevelt Boulevard.

According to NBC10, the owners of the Nifty Fifty's restaurant are under investigation for tax evasion. Federal investigators say that McGlynn and Robert Mattei conspired with employees and an accountant to avoid paying more than $2.2 million in taxes between 2006 and 2010.


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