Lexington Candy Shop closed? Viral claim says '97-year-old' NYC diner's owners arrested for money laundering

Lexington Candy Shop in New York City is famous for serving Coca-Cola the old-fashioned way, that is, in a glass with an ice cream float.

Published on: Nov 30, 2025, 03:32:17 IST

By Shuvrajit Das Biswas

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Lexington Candy Shop in New York City is a historic diner known for serving Coca-Cola floats, that is, the old-fashioned way. A video of the beverage being served in a glass with an ice cream float was shared some years back, drawing attention to the Upper East Side eatery. Now, viral claims online say that the eatery is closed, as its owners have been arrested for money laundering.

Lexington Candy Shop (L) in New York City, and a Coke float from the eatery (R). (X/@LexingtonCandy)

To be sure, these claims come from unverified profiles. “A 97 year old NYC diner that still serves their Coke the old fashioned way has been shut down after owners were arrested for allegedly laundering over 2.3 million dollars,” a profile on X stated. This was amplified on the social media platform.

However, these claims appear to be false.

Fact-check: Lexington Candy Shop closed?

As per the posts, the Lexington Candy Shop has been called a 97-year-old NYC diner. In truth, the eatery, established in 1925 turned 100 this year.

The owners of the shop are John Philis and his business partner, Bob Karcher. Philis is a third-generation owner, as his grandfather had founded the shop. Kracher has been involved in the business for nearly three decades now.

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Despite the viral claims, there are no media reports about their arrest. Nothing related to money laundering appeared in mainstream reports either. The Lexington Candy Shop remains very much open as well. Despite rumors suggesting it has been closed, the shop is operational. It was shut on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, but that is part of the shop's tradition.

They said as much on their X profile: “This Thanksgiving, we are thankful for all our loyal customers, from around the corner and around the world! We’re closed for Thanksgiving. We look forward to seeing you all on Friday!”

The shop was open a day back as well, as per a post on their social media profile as well.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shuvrajit Das Biswas
Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

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