Pilot Butte Drive-In, the Bend burger joint famed for its 18-ounce burgers, summertime hot rodders and Sunday breakfasts, could be closed for good.

“The business is closed permanently. The building is for sale and the business is closed,” said William Falconer, owner of the property since 2007.

Team Birtola High Desert Realty, the listing agency for the property, has the property listed for $1,750,000 on its website, a significant markdown from the $2.5 million the owners were asking in 2018.

“It has been an icon for a long time. It’s sad to see them close the doors, but maybe somebody will rekindle it,” said Jim Birtola, owner of the listing agency.

Pilot Butte Drive-In has been an icon at 917 NE Greenwood Ave. since it was opened in 1983, converted from an A&W. Sitting in the shadow of its namesake butte, the diner has served up burgers, hot dogs and big breakfasts to hungry patrons for decades.

Falconer bought the business in 2007 from Jack and Dee Mangin, who opened it in 1983. The business featured a park-and-order service but many patrons enjoyed sitting inside at a booth or at the counter. Everything revolved around a fire pit that kept patrons warm on chilly days, and kids enjoyed looking at the many toy trains and other keepsakes.

The food was well-regarded for its portion size, and the burgers were frequently awarded best burger in town. The breakfasts were popular with the local crowd, who crammed into the small restaurant on weekends.

“Sunday mornings were insanity. It was just absolutely nuts, but it was still the same people every single week. It was the local spot,” said Tracie Wrisley, who worked at the diner from 1998 to 2007.

While the restaurant was considered a must for out-of-towners on their way to the slopes or just passing through, Wrisley said the business survived largely off groups of regulars, including gatherings of sports coaches, landscapers getting their fill for the day and ranchers sitting around for hours with cups of coffee.

“I served the same people every single day. The same customers sat out in the parking lot waiting for us to open,” said Wrisley. “You knew them by name, you knew their kids, it was really cool to see. You got to know them all those years. They always came in, the same people.”

What was the attraction to a small roadside diner with a few booths and counter service?

“I think there was always a place for them there. All those places have their time when the regulars come in. They sit in the same place every day, because it’s like showing up at your family’s house. The door was always open and the pot is always fresh,” said Wrisley, adding that she was thankful to the place for the opportunities it gave her personally.

But Bend’s growth and constant influx of people and new businesses brought a steady stream of competition for the diner. Falconer has been on the hunt for a new buyer for some time, first announcing his intentions to sell in 2018.

A new owner could reopen the diner with the same name or could turn it into a different business, said Falconer. He hasn’t made a decision on what is next for him after the sale of the property.

“I am out of business. I will have to find something else to do,” he said.

Locals and former workers are holding out hope an investor will step in and keep the restaurant going.

“I am hoping that someone else will come in and put as much heart and soul into it as the Mangins did when they opened the place,” said Wrisley. “Hopefully someone will come in and be passionate about the place and it will continue to be the restaurant. But it’s going to take the right kind of individuals to do that.”