Milford's Kimberly Diner To Take Paul's Old Location

Kimberly Diner manager Timmy Tsopanides confirmed it Monday.

The long-time Milford landmark is moving down the street to 829 Boston Post Road, the former location of Paul’s Famous Hamburgers.

“This is the best opportunity for me to bring back a little history to the community,” Tsopanides told Milford Patch in an interview Monday at Kimberly Diner.

The diner’s last day at 459 Boston Post Road is Aug. 4. The proprietors of the property have sold it to Colonial Toyota across the street.

“We’ve been here 43 years (but) never had the opportunity to buy the property,” Tsopanides told Patch in June.

“One door closes and another one opens,” he said Monday. “But it takes nothing away from what this was. It was an aurora, an environment you can’t duplicate.”

Tsopanides was 6 when his family opened the diner in 1970. His brother was 4. He recalls “hijinks at night” and card games when parents weren’t looking. He says he learned a lot about how to treat people from his uncles who worked here.

“We grew up here,” Tsopanides said. “When they tear this down I’m going to cry.”

The new location won’t be called Kimberly Diner. Tsopanides says he’s not set on a name yet but it will include Paul’s and “incorporate” Kimberly Diner.

And it will function less like a diner, he says. For example, there will only be full-service waiting from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. From 3 to 11 p.m., patrons will order from the counter.

The menu will feature the burgers, dogs and shakes that made Paul’s such a popular destination but also the breakfast selection that so many savored at Kimberly Diner.

Tsopanides says there will be 70 seats inside and 25 park benches outside. He hopes to up and running “October at the latest.”

“I want everybody to realize how grateful my family is for their patronage and for building a bond with us,” he said. “I don’t want to lose that common thread.”