Since 1985 regulars and Saratoga Springs tourists alike could get a quick, relatively cheap bite to eat at Compton's.
Until the COVID-19 pandemic, the diner opened at 3 a.m. to serve those just stumbling off of Caroline Street.
Compton’s wears its hole-in-the-wall status as a badge of honor, but the longevity of the joint has been put into question.
“We’ve tried to work with him because we knew what was happening. In May of 2025, we were approached telling us they were coming in in a few days and removing a wall and removing four of our tables. We said no, I said no, generally,” said Bill Maher.
Bill Maher has worked at Compton’s for years, initially as a dishwasher and slowly working his way up the chain of command. He's now one of the restaurant's three owners.
Compton’s founder, John Compton, retired in 2016, selling the business to his daughters and Maher, who married into the family.
In 2021, the trio sold the building to Rochester property developer Angelo Ingrassia. Ingrassia did not respond to WAMC’s requests for comment.
With the purchase of the building, Compton’s signed a 10-year lease that outlined future renovations to the upstairs apartments.
In May 2025, Maher says they were given minimal heads-up that construction on an elevator would begin in the near future. That was just weeks before the second running of the Belmont Stakes in Saratoga Springs which attracted thousands to the city during the diner's busiest summer months.
“We have our staff who have been with us for a long period of time that bases on a 12-month income not month-to-month, it’s got to be a 12-month income. They work for us in the winter and don’t make great money but know that they’re going to pick up the business in the summer,” said Maher.
Maher says losing four tables and disrupting the ability of staff to access the remaining twenty tables just wasn’t doable.
According to the lawsuit filed on behalf of 457 Broadway, the LLC that owns the building, a negotiation was reached to give Compton’s $700 a day in rental credit for the estimated 30-day construction job – Maher says he was agreeable to that, though it wouldn’t fully compensate for the loss in business.
According to the lawsuit, Compton’s owners were asked to sign an adjusted lease along with the compensation plan.
“We talked about it as owners and decided that was not a smart idea for us, because they were talking about losing the back door, which is all of our parking and a bunch of different things. So finally, to try to settle the peace and do everything, I did, just agree to letting them do the renovations with no compensation, and I'm not signing the new lease. That was taken off the table,” said Maher.
According to the lawsuit, Compton’s lease was terminated in August following a late rent payment – Maher disputes the rent was paid late.
Compton’s owners are now facing upwards of $500,000 in legal payments. Maher says they’ve even looked to move the diner elsewhere.
“This community means everything to us. So, I'm not saying another community would be a bad fit or anything like that. I'm just saying Compton's works for Saratoga, Saratoga works for Compton's, and we love it. We tried to look around. We did find a couple places that might work that were local, but they were full build-outs. Went back and asked if we could get some time, and we were told no, that we couldn't have any time. It had to happen right away, and we had to be out,” said Maher.
After making a few Facebook posts about the lawsuit in February, Maher started a GoFundMe online fundraiser.
He says the support they’ve received from the public has been significant.
“It's really helped with the stress on our part of it, because we feel like we're doing the right thing now. Even if we lose it's going to be devastating in a lot of different ways for us. But you know, from financially to emotionally to everything. But to have the support behind us is definitely helping with dealing with this,” said Maher.
For now, Maher says he’s committed to keep Compton’s alive.
“We're not the $50 for breakfast type of place. And that's not what we're going for. We are going for we are a diner, we're old school, we're just—anybody's welcome in here. It doesn't matter who you are. It can be anybody that has $1 in their pocket, somebody that's got millions in their pocket. We don't care. Everybody gets treated like family. It's something that we've always thrived for,” said Maher.
