$50K Kickstarter Campaign to Restore Diner in Portsmouth

A local restaurateur on Friday launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $50,000 to restore the old Monarch Diner.

Roger Elkus, who operates the group of Me and Ollie's cafes on the Seacoast, is planning to open the diner in the Southgate Plaza of Lafayette Road. It would be called "Roger's Redliner Diner."

"The renovations are well underway with the help of local artisans and contractors," Elkus wrote on the Kickstarter page. "We are reaching out to you, our friends and neighbors as part of the Kickstarter community for your support to insure that this vintage, iconic, American Diner will be restored for the Seacoast communities to enjoy for years to come."

Elkus said the money raised through the Kickstarter campaign will be used to install Seeburg jukeboxes, build a neon sign and refurbish the floor, among other projects.

The Monarch Diner operated in Dover from 1950 to 1968.

Elkus earlier this year turned one of his cafes in downtown Portsmouth into a burrito restaurant but closed it a few months later. The space is currently up for lease.