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The last remaining Houlihan’s on Long Island will close its doors for good after dinner on New Year’s Eve.
The news was confirmed to Greater Long Island by a manager at the long-running chain restaurant on Route 110 in Farmingdale.
“It’s sad,” said Rey, an emotional manager who asked that his last name not be used. “A lot of people’s livelihoods are on the line here.”
Rey did not give a specific reason for the closure but said it was related to issues with the lease renewal.
Customers were stunned by the news.
“I am shocked — my husband and I come here practically every week,” said Migdalia Schneider of Old Bethpage, who had just finished lunch inside the restaurant. “It’s sad. I love the food, the prices are great, and the staff makes you feel at home.”
Inside the Island’s last Houlihan’s restaurant on Tuesday, Dec. 23. (Credit: Andrew Rappaport)
The first Houlihan’s opened in Kansas City in 1972 and eventually expanded to dozens of locations across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. A Houlihan’s location in Westbury closed in 2019.
As Greater Long Island reported last month, Louisiana-based chicken-finger chain Raising Cane’s has been eyeing the Route 110 property as part of its Long Island expansion. If that plan moves forward, it would open directly across the street from Chick & Tender, another chicken-focused restaurant that opened recently.
For Long Island diners still craving Houlihan’s, the closest remaining locations will be in Secaucus and Paramus, N.J.
Top: The Houlihan’s in Farmingdale had been the last one standing in Nassau or Suffolk counties. (Credit: Andrew Rappaport)
