If you ask Joe Kwasnik and Bill Judd how long they’ve known each other, their answer starts with an “Oh gosh…,” a hand to the chin and a pause.

The two have met once a week for breakfast at The Post downtown for years.

Leaning back in the restaurant’s black cushioned chairs, legs crossed, and looking out over Main Street, they talk about, as Kwasnik put it, “what all old guys talk about” — religion, politics, books, how soon Kwasnik can get Judd to go flying with him.

Wednesday morning was their last meeting at The Post. About a week ago, neon orange signs were taped to the doors, walls and windows, announcing to customers that the downtown location would close on Friday, May 30. The Post location on Fisherville Road will remain open.

It’s a real blow to Judd and Kwasnik, who live near downtown.

“Our waitress said to us this morning, ‘I don’t know where I’m gonna go,’” Judd said.

Kwasnik added, “We don’t know where we’re gonna go, either.”

Serving classic American breakfast and lunch staples — from omelets to waffles to BLTs — The Post is a favorite of locals, including its regulars like Kwasnick and Judd, and visitors. On a weekend morning, it’s common to see diners, enticed by the smell of coffee and home fries, waiting outside to be called for a table.

“It’s an ordinary place that serves really good, ordinary food,” Judd said. “At an affordable price.”

Owner Victoria Johnson started with the Fisherville Road location first, buying and putting her own stamp on the Newell Post in the fall of 2018, but she had always had her sights set on owning a Main Street restaurant. Just a few months after she took over the Newell Post, a space opened up where Gyro House had recently closed on Main Street. She leaped at the opportunity.

Lined with murals of the State House and other Main Street buildings, The Post’s interior is a tribute to downtown itself. Johnson keeps an eye on things from the open kitchen at the back.

“I put a lot of love and attention into it,” she said about starting a place from scratch.

The hard work paid off: “This has been a terrific spot for us the entire time,” she said.

“If there was another spot available downtown, I might consider it,” Johnson added. “It has nothing to do with downtown.”

Johnson said she spoke individually with each staff member about what comes next. Some will transition to the Penacook location. But there isn’t room for everyone, and working in Penacook doesn’t make sense for everyone either.

“It’s bittersweet,” she said. “We had a great six years here.”

Focusing on the Penacook location will give Johnson a chance to dive into further developing bakery and catering offerings, she noted. Johnson hopes downtown devotees will venture five miles up Route 3.

There isn’t a clear picture of why the restaurant is leaving Main Street. Johnson would say only that “the lease is ending and we’re moving out.” The building’s owner, Theodhora Conway, gave a similarly brief explanation.

Conway said she couldn’t announce yet who the new tenant will be, but confirmed that it won’t be another restaurant.

That part is a letdown for Kwasnik and Judd.

The two and their families became close as longtime members of Christ the King Church, and they like to meet up close to where they live. It means, they said, that going up to Penacook won’t be a great fit for their weekly breakfast. They’re considering the food court at the State House and will give the Friendly Toast, once it opens, a try, too.

As longtime Concordians, Kwasnik and Judd have seen Main Street come a long way in recent years. They’re proud of it.

To them, having an array of busy restaurants, and especially a staple like The Post, lies at the heart of a thriving, classic New England Main Street.

“Every city, village and town has a place like it,” Kwasnik said. “It’s the passing of an era to see The Post go.”

Catherine McLaughlin can be reached at cmclaughlin@cmonitor.com. You can subscribe to her Concord newsletter The City Beat at concordmonitor.com.