The owners of 100-year-old Franks Diner in Kenosha are selling the business to a longtime employee, according to a press release.

Julie Rittmiller and Kevin Ervin, who have owned Franks Diner for nearly 17 years, are selling the restaurant to longtime employee Pablo Escribano and his wife Diana. The deal is expected to close by the end of the month.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Yes, the rumors are true. After nearly 17 wonderful years of owning Franks, Julie, and I are happy to announce that we will be selling our home, away from home on July 31st,” said Ervin. “But fear not, America’s oldest continuously running diner, will be in great hands. Long time employee Pablo Escribano, and his lovely wife Diana, will become the new owners. Believe me when I say, they love Franks as much as we do. We wouldn’t have sold to him if we didn’t believe that he had the right attitude, energy, and personality to keep this 100-year-old institution going strong.”

Located at 508 58^th St., Franks Diner opened in 1926 in a train car shipped from New Jersey by rail, and by horses.

Franks is considered the oldest continuously operating diner in the U.S. The dining car, built by the Jerry O’Mahony Diner Company, is believed to be the last of its kind. The diner’s original owner, Anthony Franks, built a brick façade around the car’s exterior and dug out a basement, which has helped protect the structure over the years. A dining room was added in 1935 and a larger kitchen in the mid 1940s.

Since appearing on the first season of the Food Network show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” in 2007 – the first of two appearances on that show – Franks has garnered national media attention, with features in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Thrillist, Business Insider and others.

The Escribanos will be the sixth overall owners, and the third non-Franks family members to run the diner.

“Nothing is going to change,” Ervin said. “It’s time to move on and pass the torch to the next generation. We’ve been at this a long time, and we’re getting a little tired. Pablo has been interested in the diner for about three years now, so it’s the perfect time to make the change over. Julie, and I, have always considered ourselves the stewards of the diner. Keeping it going until the next person could take it and continue the legacy of Franks. Pablo and Diana are the perfect couple to hand over that mantel to.”

Franks was named Small Business of the Year by the Kenosha Area Business Alliance in 2025.