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'Yankee Doodle, Keep It Up,' Yalies Cry

Posted by Adam Kuban, February 1, 2008 at 2:15 PM

Photographs courtesy of George Motz

When news came in recently that New Haven, Connecticut's Yankee Doodle Diner closed, I was a bit dismayed. I'd long heard that this was "one of the most important hamburger spots in America," as burger expert George Motz put it but I've yet to visit.

Some hopeful news, though, in that Yale students and alumni are on the march to keep the diner open.

Since the restaurant closed Monday, citing “economic considerations”—and provoking sadness and shock among Yalies past and present—The Yankee Doodle Coffee Shop’s owner Richard Beckwith has received thousands of e-mails and phone calls in support of the Doodle. And in the three days since the store shut its doors for good, a group of alumni have begun organizing an effort to revive the Doodle through online donations.

There are two Facebook groups, of course, dedicated to the cause. And while it's not our place to endorse one group over the other, we'll point out that Save the Doodle group has 2,100 members as of publication, while the SAVE THE DOODLE group has 559, despite its use of ALL CAPS.

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Tags: Connecticut, diners, New Haven, Yankee Doodle Diner