PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Albert Iannone did something last weekend he hasn’t done in five decades: he closed the Prairie Diner for more than a day.

Facing a dwindling number of customers and recovering from a heart attack, Iannone, 85, finally closed his family run restaurant Saturday, marking the end of what one historian calls Providence’s oldest continuously operating diner.

“I’m going on 86. How many more years can I go?” Iannone asked.

After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Iannone and his brother used their military wages to buy the then-ramshackle diner in 1945 for about $5,500.

The diner had rolled into Providence in 1927, but was then closed and sorely in need of repair.

Iannone said he and his brother spent about a year renovating the interior, sometimes on their hands and knees scrubbing grease off the gritty floor.

When the renovated Prairie Diner finally opened, it attracted patrons with a cheap but filling menu.

Daniel Zilka, the acting director of the American Diner Museum, said he used to bring tour groups to see Iannone’s establishment and sample a menu that was traditional – with a few Italian tweaks.

“To me, it’s always symbolized what a diner is,” Zilka said. “There’s not a lot of places you can find in Rhode Island that have snail salad and grits on a menu.”

In the postwar era, Iannone said three South Providence factories kept his counter stools full and his waitresses busy. Factory workers grabbed a sandwich on their way to work. Neighbors dropped by for a leisurely breakfast. Bar hoppers came for late-night burgers.

Two shifts kept the dinner running from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m., he said. It closed only on Sundays and major holidays.

Speed was always the key to the business, Iannone said.

“They want it quick and fast and good,” he explained. “They want it yesterday for today, it’s so quick. And that’s what made us go.”

As manufacturers left the city – and eventually the country – Iannone said his restaurant began its slow decline.

Pedestrians disappeared from South Providence, as did the families who supported the diner.

Iannone said a heart attack two months ago proved the last straw. His children urged him to retire, and on Saturday he served customers for what may be the last time.

The future of the Prairie Diner remains uncertain. In recent years, Iannone became a co-owner with his son Robert, who is still debating whether to continue the business.

Developers are planning a new community health center on the next block over, and Iannone said he hopes the move might revitalize the neighborhood and revive his restaurant clientele.

In the meantime, Iannone said Zilka will advertise the restaurant on the American Diner Museum’s Web site to try and find an interested suitor.

“I really think it could be a gold mine for the area,” Zilka said. “It would be a shame to lose it, like gone to glory.”

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On the Net:

American Diner Museum: http://www.dinermuseum.org/

AP-ES-01-02-06 1404EST