Many months ago, we attended a Center City Residents' Association meeting at which the developers for the Hudson Hotel presented plans for their proposed project at the corner of 17th & Chancellor. The plan called for the demolition of the four-story building which not only contains a parking garage but also the popular 24-hour diner Little Pete's. When word of this possibility became public over a year ago, people pretty much freaked out, upset that the friendly and affordable restaurant would be forced to close its doors. With non-opposition from the community and an ordinance from City Council, it seemed the Hudson Hotel was coming and Little Pete's was on the outs.
But if you visit this corner today, you'll see that nothing has changed.
Despite the lengthy delay and a change in hotel operators from Hudson to Hyatt, and even though we heard whispers many months ago that Little Pete's would be allowed to lease a space in the new hotel, it seems that Little Pete's is now looking for a new home. Earlier today, we got an email from MSC Retail indicating that Little Pete's is looking to relocate to a new space in Center City with between 1,800 and 3,000 sqft of space. As you might imagine, they want a space with good foot traffic all day, and ideally hotel traffic too. According to Jacob Cooper from MSC, the restaurant would ideally like to stay close to its current location, but would consider a space east of Broad Street too. And while a corner is preferred, a mid-block space could also work.
So there you go, folks. It appears to be a done deal that Little Pete's will be closing down at this location after three and a half decades and millions of customers served. The good news is that they're looking for a new space- so it will only be a temporary goodbye. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled and let us know in the comments if you have any brilliant ideas for a location for the new Little Pete's. Or you can email an MSC rep here.