The dining room is as busy as ever as Waffle Stop owner Dolly Hollinger flies from table to table, cracking jokes with regulars and lovingly scolding newbies for flipping their coffee cups upright despite not wanting any coffee. Hollinger has always had a quick wit and a smile for anyone who steps into her 74-year-old restaurant, where she's worked since 1991, but today, she and everyone else have a touch of melancholy. That's because the restaurant, most famous for serving Elvis in 1956, is closing at the end of the year.

"I'm sad to go because I've made so many friends," Hollinger says to a nearby table. "I'm afraid I'm going to lose them if they don't know where to find me."

Hollinger has made arrangements for her guests to keep in touch, recommending that they fill out their names and contact information in a floral address book sitting by the cash register. The sign behind it instructs customers to jot down a note or a memory about the historic establishment in a journal. It's already full of sorrowful farewells and touching notes about what the diner has meant to so many customers over the years.

Waffle Stop's closing, much like that of the Hob Nob earlier this year, signifies the end of a downtown Sarasota hangout that was affordable and that catered to neighbors. Over the years, the number of small mom-and-pop restaurants where people can grab a quick, easy and cheap meal has dwindled, and the Sarasota community is worse off because of it. The Waffle Stop may never have been in the running for a James Beard award, but who cares? An over-medium egg, often under- or over-cooked at other spots, is always just right at the Waffle Stop, even today, during my very last visit.

While the restaurant's primary claim to fame is the fact that Elvis stopped in for breakfast while on tour in 1956, it's hardly the most interesting thing about the Waffle Stop. More important are the hoards of regulars who have their standard spot reserved for them without ever having to ask for it. A wink and a crack from Hollinger are far more valuable than any connection to the king of rock 'n' roll.

Still, Elvis memorabilia continues to decorate the Waffle Stop's walls, and a life-sized statue of him greets you near the entrance entrance. Hollinger hopes to sell all of what she calls the "Elvis stuff," but hasn't crafted a plan for that just yet.

The Waffle Stop's final day of business will be Tuesday, Dec. 31. It's located at 660 S. Washington Blvd., Sarasota.