A fire caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette shuttered the Tick Tock Diner in Midtown this morning.
The eatery is expected to reopen in two days.
Diner owner Alex Sgourdos said firefighters told him the flames were sparked by a tossed smoke that rolled off the sidewalk and became wedged underneath the restaurant’s façade.
The blaze erupted at around 10:13 a.m. at the eatery on the corner of West 34th Street and Eighth Avenue, fire official said.
It climbed into the ceiling but was quickly extinguished. A short while later, construction workers were spotted carrying out debris and already making repairs. Sgourdos hopes to be back in business by Tuesday.
“I thought at first it was smoky because of the kitchen, but then the Fire Department showed up,” said patron Phil Goldberg, a retired architect visiting from Rochester who is staying at the adjoining New Yorker Hotel.
Waiter Steve Tsiolis added: “People weren’t scared at all. They didn’t want to leave their food.”
FDNY Battalion Chief Chris Boyle said the fire extended slightly into the above floor, which is part of the hotel, but an evacuation wasn’t needed and the damage was minimal.