Orlando has lost another piece of its comfort-food soul.
After 27 years of slinging hash and heartfelt hospitality, the Daybreak Diner has officially closed its doors. The popular Curry Ford spot, which described itself as “a little old school, a little new school, but feels like home,” announced the closure in a heartfelt Facebook post on June 24, writing:
“It is with great regret that I must bid farewell to all of our friends and family that we have established over the past 27 years. We are deeply grateful and thankful for all of you.”
The news came as a surprise to many regulars who had been holding out hope for a reopening. Back on June 12, the diner had posted that it would be temporarily closing for renovations, with no official return date. Instead of that long-awaited re-opening announcement, fans were met with a goodbye.
The exact reasons behind the closure weren’t shared, but if recent trends are any clue, it’s likely a mix of rising costs, shrinking margins, and the very real burnout that comes with running a small business—especially one as beloved as this.
This marks the second longtime Orlando diner to shutter in the span of just a week. College Park Diner, which had just tried to reinvent itself with a weekend drag brunch, suddenly closed down after a health inspection uncovered a major roach issue. Our article on that closure sparked plenty of chatter—we accidentally opened a can of worms—or more accurately, cracked open a wall full of roaches. Unlike Daybreak, there was no heartfelt farewell. Just a state-issued shutdown, a deleted Instagram, and a handwritten sign that read: “Out of business! Toodles.”
While we don’t know what finally led to Daybreak’s decision, one thing is certain: locally owned spots don’t just disappear—they’re worn down by years of trying to make the numbers work while keeping the doors open and the coffee hot.
If we want more places that “feel like home,” we have to show up for them before the farewell posts go live.