By SANDY McGEE

NORTH SMITHFIELD — Kennedy’s Lunch,  a local mainstay that served breakfast and lunch to area residents for more than half a century, permanently closed on Monday after its proprietor says she was denied the opportunity to renew her lease on the building.

Kennedy’s Lunch, at 685 St. Paul St., was owned and operated by Alda Cooke of Cranston for the past 13 years. It had previously been owned by the Kennedy family of North Smithfield.
According to Cooke, the current owners of the building, North Smithfield Fire and Rescue Inc., denied her request to renew a two-year lease.
Cooke said she had been cited for several fire code violations, which she was working with the fire department to resolve. Her request to renew was denied before the necessary changes could be completed, she said.
North Smithfield Fire Chief Joel Jillson said he could not comment about the lease or Kennedy’s Lunch Tuesday because he had not received formal notice from Cooke on the matter.
Cooke believes Kennedy’s Lunch operated as a restaurant for better than half a century, and possibly more than 70 years at the St. Paul Street location. The exact date the restaurant opened could not be  ascertained Tuesday.
The building at the corner of St. Paul Street and Great Road is believed to be nearly 80 years old. Any changes to the building, including leasing it to another owner or demolishing it to make way for another structure, will be directed by North Smithfield Fire and Rescue.
Holding back tears, Cooke served the restauarnt’s last meal  (scrambled eggs and toast) Monday morning. “It was a sad situation for me,” she said.. “I loved it there. They (patrons) were my family. I saw children grow up there. It’s hard. Good things come to an end, unfortunately.”
Just the same, the closing of Kennedy’s Lunch will not put Cooke out of business.
She recently purchased the Main Street Café, at 85 Main St. in downtown Woonsocket, from Diane Frenette, owner of the Castle Luncheonette in Woonsocket, and her brother, Gary Fernandes, owner of River Falls restaurant and lounge, also in Woonsocket. The change in ownership has been in the works for the last few months, Cooke said.
The Main Street eatery closed on Monday to reorganize, reopening Tuesday under its new ownership.
The Main Street Café will continue to offer items from its previous menu, as well as items from the Kennedy’s menu. The café will be open Monday through Friday, from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday, 6 to 2; and on Sundays from 7 a.m. to noon.
A North Smithfield resident stopped in at Kennedy’s Lunch Tuesday only to find the door locked.
“It’s too bad,” said Norman Rowey, a Kennedy’s customer for more than 30 years. “It’s a shame. It’s like an icon for the town. It’s a place where people gathered.”
For seven years in the 1950s, Town Administrator Robert Lowe worked as a Kennedy’s short-order cook.
“In those days, when I worked there, I would get on the grill at 6:30 a.m. and couldn’t leave until 2 p.m.,” Lowe recalled. “It was a wonderful job and wonderful people I worked with.
“It was a landmark in town. It was one of those old-fashioned diners. People waited in line to get in there. You knew everybody when they came in. It was really a town landmark.”
Blackstone Town Administrator Ken Bianchi, who had the same job in North Smithfield from 1991 to 1999, was a frequent Kennedy’s visitor.
“I stopped in there every morning,” Bianchi said. “It was affordable. You could depend on getting a good meal. People there were interested in what was happening.
“That’s been an institution in the community. To lose an institution like that is a real loss. When we used to have ham and bean suppers, (the Kennedy family) were there to help you out. The diner and the Kennedy family were such a part of our community. Now, we are not only losing them, but part of their legacy. It’s a serious loss.”
The Kennedy’s Lunch building is in Branch Village, an area that is in line for a makeover as part of an eponymous revitalization project.
“Everything from Leeway up to the professional buildings is considered in this area,” Lowe said.
Plans include the development of new businesses, mixed-use properties and other changes as a way to create new revenues and expand the property tax base.