Diner Tradition Revived in Franklin Park

Stefanos Papadimitriou and his two partners, Gus and Jimmy, were met with some skepticism when they said they planned to open a diner in Franklin Park. "People thought we were crazy," said Papadimitriou. After all, Franklin Park's population is almost 30% Asian Indian, according the U.S. Census Bureau estimate for 2015.

Established March 2016

Still, Stefanos and his partners saw a need in the community for a traditional diner. It had been about 20 years since there had been a diner in the area. (The last one I can remember was the Kendall Park Diner, which had been in the shopping center next to the roller rink.) 

Time-Tested Format

The diner opened on March 24, 2016 at the site that was formerly Four Musketeers Pizza, and business has been good. "The community was very welcoming," he says. One of the reasons why they chose this particular building is that "we didn't want anything too big," Papadimitriou says.

View from the counter (every real diner needs a counter.)

The owners don't want to stray from the time-tested diner format. "We're trying to keep the traditional approach," Papadimitriou says. The diner has two to three family-style dishes a day such as stuffed peppers or stuffed cabbage, and they're always made from scratch, as are the daily soups.

Stefanos, one of the partners

Baked goods, though, are made off-site at a bakery in northern New Jersey, including muffins, pies, cakes and cheesecake.

Taking on the Challenge

The hardest part about running the business? "Consistency," he says. A big part to maintaining consistency is making sure one of the partners is present. All three of them are there most of the time, Papadimitriou says. Like any restaurant, especially a diner, that adds up to a lot of hours. The diner opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m., seven days a week.

Staffing, too, is a challenge. "We're always searching," Papadimitrious says. A sign in front of the restaurant announces that the diner is currently seeking help.

The staffing issue

Family Connection

Diners are not new to Papadimitriou's family. His father-in-law, who owns the Manville Diner, helped him open the Franklin Park Diner. Papadimitriou, though, worked in corporate sales before deciding to leave that avenue to pursue diner life. His partners, too, have years of experience in diners. (When I stopped in, Stefanos was running head of house, while Gus was back in the kitchen.)

Community-Based Marketing

The business's marketing plan is mostly community-based, in terms of sponsoring baseball teams, dance teams, advertising in school play programs, and contributing to hospitals and other organizations. They also work with a local church. Reviews on Yelp and Facebook also help build the business, he said. Like any business, it also has a website, which features the the diner's menus.

In a community rife with Indian restaurants, Franklin Park automatically differentiates itself. Perhaps, its most direct competition is IHOP about a mile north on 27. Operating as a small, independent restaurant, though, Franklin Park Diner should be able to provide more authentic home-style fare than a large chain restaurant. Time will tell if this time-tested format succeeds in Franklin Park.

"This Stretch of 27" covers business on Route 27 between Finnegan's Lane and Route 518. What's your story? Email me at lkiesche@gmail.com

Liz Kiesche
Liz, a business journalist, formerly worked for Bloomberg News in Princeton and New York.