Alvin Stardust break-up of the Fentones, working in music management and performing at small venues with his wife Iris Caldwell, the sister of Rory Storm. During the early 1970s, however, he acquired a new persona, Alvin Stardust, cashing in on the glam rock bandwagon. Alvin Stardust was clearly a reference to Ziggy Stardust, a David Bowie character based on the "C-list" rocker Vince Taylor. The Alvin Stardust character looked remarkably like Taylor with sideburns and black leather outfit. His new name was given to him by Peter Shelley, the co-founder (with Michael Levy) of Magnet Records. Shelley originated the persona of Alvin
Ellen's Stardust Diner Cafe was closed down. It was the first 1950s theme restaurant in New York City and had waitresses in poodle skirts. In the late 1990s, a sister restaurant operated near Times Square under the name Stardust Dine-O-Mat. During 2016–2017, the restaurant saw a period of unrest, when it was alleged that 31 waiters were fired after attempting to form a union, and the restaurant counter-claimed that the terminated employees had defrauded it of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In October 2017, a settlement was agreed to give the fired workers the opportunity to return to their jobs if they wished,