The Main Street Diner served its last plate of huckleberry pancakes Sunday after three decades at the corner of Main and Babcock. Owner Dale Hargrove, 68, said the building’s new owner declined to renew his lease. “They told me they had a vision for the space,” Hargrove said. “I just didn’t know the vision didn’t include me.”

The building was purchased in March by Bridger Peak Holdings LLC, a Bozeman-registered entity tied to a Salt Lake City investment group. Managing partner Trent Calloway said the firm plans to demolish the single-story diner and construct eight three-story townhomes marketed as “attainable luxury residences in the heart of historic downtown.” Pricing starts at $875,000.

“We’re bringing much-needed housing inventory to the urban core,” Calloway said. “At under $900,000, these units represent a genuine opportunity for local professionals to own in a walkable neighborhood.” The median household income in Gallatin County is $83,000.

Hargrove employs six people, three of whom have worked at the diner for more than fifteen years. Server Maria Gonzalez, 52, said she doesn’t know what’s next. “I’ve got two grandkids in Belgrade schools,” she said. “I’m not moving to Belgrade. I’m from here. But I guess here doesn’t want me either.”

The diner’s neon sign — a blue coffee cup with steam that’s flickered since 1994 — will be removed this week. Calloway said the developer is “exploring options” to incorporate a “heritage element” into the new facade. A coffee shop concept is planned for the ground-floor commercial space. Lease rates start at $42 per square foot, triple what Hargrove paid.

Regulars gathered Monday to take photos of the empty booths. Someone taped a handwritten note to the front door: “Thanks for the eggs, Dale.” It was still there Wednesday afternoon.

The planning board approved the project 4-1 last month. The dissenting vote cited “character compatibility concerns.” The other four members called it “exactly the kind of density we need.”