Muffins, the iconic Bridgeport diner that closed down in 2019 after 43 years in business, reopened last month with new owners Paul Salamy and Steve Sicilia at the helm, much to the delight of the local community.
“We opened last month, and it’s going pretty well so far,” Salamy tells What Now Philadelphia. “A lot of our old regulars are coming back and giving it a try, a bunch of new people coming in and out.”
Muffins, which is located at 138 W 4th St, was owned and operated by Tina and Brian Foley for just over four decades. However, the pair decided to close up shop and retire shortly before the pandemic hit.
The business sat vacant for the next two years until Salamy and Sicilia – who also own and operate The Hedgehog Grill food truck – decided to take up the torch of this community institution.
“We’ve been working on it for a year and a half or so, redoing the inside and redesigning some stuff, updating all the equipment and plumbing and electrical and all that,” says Salamy.
At this point, Muffins has been restored to its former glory, however, Salamy says that a few future plans include online ordering, which should launch in the next month or so, as well as “after-hours rentals,” so that folks can host private events in the space.
“Taking over the legacy was definitely a big part of” reopening Muffins, says Salamy, “and we kind of kept that in mind throughout. We kept in contact with the old owners and got some of their wisdom and their permission to do certain things – we just made sure that they thought their customers would be on board for what we were doing. And we really kept most of the stuff, kept all their menu items, tried to keep it as much the same as we could, because it was such a key part of the community before.”
