The owner of Jack's Diner has put the longtime Downtown restaurant up for sale and might close it unless he can find a buyer.

Chris Kowalski blamed his struggle to turn a profit on the years-long construction in the alley where the restaurant is located, in addition to rising costs and struggles to find staff.

"Business has been down, and I'm not making any money," he said Tuesday.

Kowalski has owned the greasy spoon diner at 52 E. Lynn St. since 2004. He closed it for a time after the death of his wife in 2015 and reopened it in 2016.

Then the construction started.

First, the city undertook an improvement project for the alleys at Pearl and Lynn streets that took much longer than expected. That was followed by the start of the multiyear improvement project at the Rhodes Tower, which is just on the other side of the alley. That $50 million project is expected to be completed next year, according to the state.

Scaffolding covers much of the alley, including Jack's.

While the alley has been open throughout, the work has made it difficult at times to reach the restaurant, Kowalski said. Noise and dust have been common.

There also are rising costs for utilities and the supplies and food he needs to run the restaurant, he said. Also, it has been tough to find workers.

"I have a great customer base, people who come in twice a week or three times a week," he said. "It kills me to sell it. This is what I know."

Ideally, Kowalski said, he'd like to find a buyer who would carry on with the Jack's name, and perhaps he could continue to run the place.

The restaurant dates to 1942.

mawilliams@dispatch.com

@BizMarkWilliams