Small Town Diner

Small Town Diner

It was a small town diner tucked in a back road of Beaver County. It was built and opened in the 70’s by a man with a dream, in a small town. Business had been steady for years and it was a local favorite for everyone. People had been coming there for years since its opening and now their children were coming there. It was a place where you could grab one of the best burgers around loaded with anything you ordered, and a nice tall cold glass of ice tea in the summer, all for around 4 dollars. Yet it was also a place where you could stop in the winter before work or whenever and gets a warm cup of Joe or hot chocolate, and some of the best homemade breakfast for miles, again, only for around 4 dollars. It was a great small community diner where everybody knew everybody, and that’s how the locals liked it.

Steve was sitting in his diner at one of the tan leather booths, talking to one of his waitresses, Susan. They talked over business to hot cups of coffee. Yes this was the man with the dream, the one who owned and operated the local diner simply named, “Steve’s Diner”. Steve was around 6 foot tall with short brown but slowly graying hair, he was in his mid fifties and opened the diner when he was around the age of twenty back in the 70’s. His hair grew greyer by the day because of his worries and stress. He was happy but underneath he was in a state of grief. “Well, Mr. Johnson the bank agent stopped by yet again to tell me that we are falling deeper and deeper behind in debt?”, Steven said glumly.
“I don’t understand” Susan Replied, “now matter what we do to keep this place going, no matter if we get a steady flow of customers, we just can’t stay ahead of the payments. Susan was a woman in her late 40’s who was friends with Steve for years now and agreed to help work the Diner, she was like the manager.
“I know, but the government is hard on small businesses theses days, especially in small town communities like ours”, Susan sat there listening to her long time friend, wishing she could help. The debt began a few years ago and they have been doing their best to pay it and not let the local and regular customers know. They didn’t want their friends and customers to be upset or feel bad and help to try and keep the diner going. Steve didn’t like accepting help from others, he liked to manage on his own, and he just couldn’t accept the help of friends. It was help enough seeing them come in and enjoy his food, he liked giving people great food for a cheap price, that’s the way it had been since the diner’s opening, and that was the motto of the place. Tacked on the wall behind the main counter read a wooden plack saying,” Great food, cheap prices, friends, family, and everyone welcome. Steve knew that part of the debt was due to these cheap prices, he was making only a little over 30% profit on each meal sold. But he didn’t want to change the prices, the people loved the diner, and the prices had been the same since the opening, why change after thirty years? The prices made profit up until the 90’s, but as years go by, prices on everything go up. Not at the Diner, people loved the prices and Steve worried that it would drive people away if he upped the prices.
Now Steve was looking at his final options to keep the place alive, his options were, up the prices and loose regular customers and his motto, or lay off some of his waiters and waitresses and be short staffed but save money without worrying about paying them. Steve didn’t want to do either, but had no choice; he didn’t want the bank agent coming back again anytime soon. So Steve called a meeting the next morning before the Diners opening to the average Joe’s who came by every morning to catch a bite to eat and relax and chat before work. “Well, Steve said, I’ve called yins together today, I know we talk every morning every day, but we have a matter to talk about, and I can’t put it off any longer”.”As you all know, we are falling hard into debt, and I don’t want to close the Diner, I’ve chosen to lay some of you off, I’m sorry but here’s who I’ve chosen, Bob, Jon, and Lucy, I’m sorry, but it has to be done”.
They were sad, and kinda angry, but could see the hurt and sorrow in their boss’s eyes, they knew he didn’t want to but had to, and they understood and respected the matter. He chose them because they hadn’t been working there long, (each of them a year or two at the most) and he wanted to keep his long time and experienced waiter and waitress. So they left, jumped in their cars, and left. He prayed that he could manage to bring them back sometime, but he was doubtful. Who was left was him, Susan, and Ron, Ron had been there around seven years and was a great addition to the place, he joked and laughed with customers and made them feel welcomed. He began working there part time when he was sixteen and enjoyed it since, he lived a simple life, and didn’t mind. Within the next hour the regular men and women of the morning made their way to the Diner.

Frank and Mike were too well known regulars at the place and knew everybody in town. “Where’s everyone today Steve?” asked Frank. Steve knew he would have to tell him, but then word would soon spread that the Diner was in Debt.
Steve exclaimed,” Well boys, I chose to lay Bob, Jon, and Lucy off”, I’m in some debt, and don’t want to board this place up, it was my only true option.
“Well, it’s a shame, but it sounds like you had to Steve”, Mike said, Frank agreed.
The days went by and Steve was saving some money, just enough to keep Mr. Johnson the bank agent away, still hurting for money, but paying partial payments when needed to keep the wild Hound like Insurance company and everything from calling 24/7. It was soon fall, a great time of the year.
Soon word was spread that the Diner was hurting for money. Everyone who stopped in would ask, “hows the diner holdin today Steve? Or “Please keep it going Steve, we love the place and the community wouldn’t be the same without it”. Steve wanted to cry when he heard his customers worry like this, but he held back the tears.
The day soon came, and it came without warning, Mr. Johnson came one morning in the brisk fall weather and sat down in a booth. Susan came out and said,” what can I get for you today sir?”. Before realizing it was the bank agent. Mr. Johnson was a selfish person who fit the job description of an Agent well.
“I’ll have a talk with Mr. Steven, is what I’ll have, how much would that be?”
Susan ran to get Steve; she blew through the kitchen door and yelled, “Steve!” He looked up from making a meal.
“What is it?” Steve asked
Susan Replied, “Well, it’s Mr. Jonson
Steve was almost in a trance, but he snapped out, “looks like I better go face the news”, he walked out of the kitchen and sat down.”Look” Steve said, “What am I doing wrong now?” “I know I’m still hard in debt but I’ve been making payments”.
“Well those payments just haven’t been enough” Johnson said in that ratty stuck up tone. “I am here today to give you this notice that the place must, and I mean must be shut down and boarded up in three days, no more and no less. “Any questions, well you know I don’t have time for your senseless questions”. “What is there to ask?” and with those final words Mr. Johnson walked out and slammed the door, walked away with a big grin of happiness on his face.
Steve sat there in a deeper trance, staring at the notice, reading it:
To Mr. Steven you are hereby notified that by October 23 of 2010 you are required to close up shop. You have been unable to pay payments in full for months now. Board up and leave without questions. Again, three days to move out anything that is within the building that you wish to take, whatever is left will be the banks legal property, including the shop its self, we will be taking it.
Signed, You’re Local Bank
Steve read the words hoping he was in a dream, but knowing he wasn’t. “Susan” he called, she came over quickly and sat down.
“What he want this time?””To give you another warning?”
“No” Steve sat glumly, handed her the paper, “read it”.
A few minutes went by and then Susan began to tear up, “Steve that’s terrible” “We can’t make payments or anything?”
“Not unless it’s the full payment, no more snippet or partial payments” “We have three days” “Lets” finish out the day and I’ll put the sign up tomorrow”.
Tomorrow came and Steve began tacking a sign on the Old Diner Sign, it read, CLOSED, GONE OUT OF BUSINESS, and that was it. Steve watched as people came, came to enjoy good food, but saw them stop short of the parking lot. They’d read the sign, and drive away looking sad and disappointed.
The cleanup had begun, soon all that was left was the booths, lights, counter, and pretty much anything that couldn’t be moved. The day before final close up came, the day Steve dreaded, the day he’d take his last step out of his dream. He stayed away from the Diner that day, and let his employees do the final cleanup. They didn’t mind and understood how he felt. But Steve knew that tomorrow whether he liked it or not, he would have to walk up to the place, hand over the keys to the bank, and sign some papers. It pulled quickly into night, Steve wondered why the bank hadn’t called to remind him of his final meeting tomorrow, and normally he thought they’d be all over him. But they weren’t, and he couldn’t understand why.
Steve’s alarm went off early on the twenty third, and he glumly got out of bed. Took his time getting ready, not wanting the hour to come. Soon it did, he got in his car, and drove, drove slow. Arriving at the Old Diner he saw no one, no cars, nothing, had they somehow managed to forget? No not the bank, not even if they were hung over drunk from a celebration party the night before on the closing of the Diner. It was odd, maybe they were late. Steve stepped out of the car, walked the few steps to the door, looking down at the ground, holding tears back, naturally like the last thirty years, slipped the key in the door instinctively, he could find that keyhole blind folded in the dark backwards. So what difference did it make now if he didn’t even see the door, and just his feet?
He opened the door, and suddenly, “SURPRISE!”
Steve came to fast, looked up and saw the community and locals he knew and loved not any banks agencies in sight. “What is all this?” Steve asked as he looked around the place, he saw new lights, booths, everything, brand spanking new
Susan came out of the crowd, “the community came together the past few days, discussed the closing, and couldn’t let it happen”. “We all pitched in and all day yesterday and into the night worked while you weren’t here”. We remodeled the place, and we also called the bank, gave them their money”. “Gave them it all, no more debt”.
Steve began crying tears of joy, “But yins don’t have to, I appreciate it, but honestly yins shouldn’t have”. “I can’t accept this.”
Susan said, “We don’t care, we did this for you and us, we love you Steve and we love the place, generations grew up here, it’s the local hangout for teens, a place for the average Joes, everyone for miles has a story to tell about this place”.
Steve looked around at his community, knew they cared about him, and he was overwhelmed with it all, he wouldn’t have to close shop. He knew that no matter how hard he tried telling them he couldn’t accept it, they wouldn’t want to hear it, they wanted him to stay open, wanted to continue coming to the placed they grew up with. The place looked great, he could hardly believe they did it all in one day and night. Crazy he thought, how much people can accomplish in a short amount of time, and how you never realize how lucky you are to have something until you almost lose it, or lose it.
Steve was amazed with the place, everything new, clean and amazing.
Susan said, “To top it all, we each as a community agreed to help pay payments for one full year to get us up and going again, we’ll each throw in some money each month to put towards monthly payments. Steve was happy, couldn’t believe how he never realized how much the people around him truly cared about him, he had always been in that worry of things, and failed to realize how much they truly cared about him and their favorite diner. Steve saw the plack still tacked up behind the main counter, it still read, Great food, cheap prices, friends, family, and everyone welcome. Steve loved it, he walked into the newly remodeled kitchen, fired up the grill and fryers and yelled out the order window, “Now who wants some burgers!?”