Thursday, January 2, 2020

Minuteman Diner Gets Ready to Open


The long awaited Minuteman Diner at 363 Great Road in the Great Road Village shopping center is just about ready to open. Only a few finishing touches remain. The Diner replaces D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches which abruptly closed in November of 2018.

I recently met with Diane Cohen, co-owner of the new diner. Diane and her husband Ed have long been interested in the food service industry so they decided to go after their dream and open a diner. They wanted a friendly inviting place with good service and quality local food. Diane related how her family enjoyed the the food and celebrating birthdays at the Chadwick's Ice Cream Parlour in Waltham. So in honor of Chadwick's, she purchased a Bell in order to bring that favorite memory of ringing the bell to Minuteman Diner

The Diner features a grab and go area for people who want to pick up a quick breakfast such as Bagels or Eggs on the way to work.
The location has undergone a complete renovation and has a much more modern but still classic diner feel. The diner will serve Breakfast all day. According to Diane, they created a menu designed to appeal to a wide variety of people include Vegans. In addition to Breakfast items like Omelettes and Pancakes, the menu features Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, Burgers and Pub Classics along with Comfort Food.

A Frozen Yogurt machine as well as a topping station for ice cream and more. The diner expects kids to use the topping station to decorate their pancakes.
Along with breakfast, the Diner plans to also serve lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. The restaurant has a full liquor license and will offer an extensive drink menu. The new restaurant has 49 traditional seats with an additional 9 seats at the bar.

The diner featured many local brands including Maine Root organic soda
According to Diane, Minuteman Diner is hoping to open to the public on January 10 for breakfast only and then have their Grand opening January 14 from 6 AM to 11 PM with their full menu.

Similar to many coffee shops, the diner offers a cup club. Customers buy the cup and then get special pricing on coffee, tea or soda. 
Comments:
1. There has been an influx in places serving breakfast in the region including Twist Bakery and Blackbird Cafe in Burlington. This seemed long overdue.

2. With the recent closing of Margaritas in Lexington, the Minuteman Diner will be the closest restaurant off Interstate 95/128. With a full liquor menu (including Margaritas) it will be interesting to see if they can pick up former Margaritas customers.

3. The diner should benefit the other businesses in Great Road Village shopping center by providing a significant increase in foot traffic.