Broadway Diner dining 50’s syle!
Eating while a necessity if possible should be a dining experience, at least that is my frame of mind. Like a friend of ours, Mark Dozier said not too long ago, “If you are going to consume calories, they may as well be good calories!”
He was right, and that frame of mind brought a group of us that were traveling recently in Baraboo, Wisconsin to the Broadway Diner for breakfast. Chad and Dave Elmore had already cased the joint and tried it the day before so I can’t claim finding this 1950’s treasure myself. We all had varied items off the menu with the consensus that “it was great”.
While the food is a big attraction I am all about historic places and this is a saved diner with a bit of a story to tell. The website for the Broadway Diner shares, “Broadway Diner is a classic “Silk City” Diner. The Silk City model was manufactured by the Paterson Vehicle Company of Paterson New Jersey, between 1924 and 1967. Ours was built in 1954 – the golden age of diners!”
The day we were there an added plus was that a beautiful 1950’s car was setting right out front adding to this walk back in time. The diner website adds, “It was originally called the A&P Diner and found its home in Groton Connecticut. In the 1980s the diner’s name changed to the Bridge Diner, then Twin Bridge Diner. In 1988 the diner changed hands and became Rosie’s Diner. It was in operation as Rosie’s until 2005, when it was replaced with another building.”
This could easily have been the end of the story, but thankfully Steve Harwin of Diversified Diners in Cleveland Ohio bought the diner, hoping to find a buyer and then restore it. HIs wish was granted when Jeff and Vonnie Castree found out about the diner and purchased it in 2011. They added an additional building for freezer space, restrooms and additional seating was built first, then the restored diner was moved to its current location and attached to the building in May of 2012.
Kudos to those who took the time and trouble to keep this building alive for new memories for this current and future generations. Log onto http://www.broadwaydinereats.com/ for more information!
