Currentstatewide restaurant dining restrictions arenot stopping progress on two retro,stainless steel-style diners scheduled to open by early fallin Wilmington and Talleyville.
While "Happy Days'' are not yet quite here again, Goober's Diner and Brandywine Diner are gearing up tobegin offering fried eggs, pancakes, burgers, French friesand more.
Goober's Diner, from the owners of Buckley's Tavern,could open bySeptember at 13th and Lincoln streets in Wilmington.
And just a few miles away, the newBrandywine Diner is taking overthe formerFamous Dave's site at303 Rocky Run Parkway in Talleyville'sBrandywine Commonscenter.
James Pinckney and Tess Scott,brokers specializing in restaurants for West Chester, Pennsylvania-basedZommick McMahon Commercial Real Estate, helped connect restaurateur Andy Elghawy with the location for his coming soon Brandywine Diner.
"Providing that everything goes to schedule, I intend to open in October," said Elghawy, who also is aco-owner ofthe Springfield Diner at 720 Baltimore Pike in Springfield, Pennsylvania.
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A lease for Brandywine Diner was signed in December and construction is ongoingat the building sandwichedbetween TGIFridays and the Olive Garden in the center off Concord Pike.
Although the morning chow linehas shut down for good at the popular Crossroads restaurant in the Milltown-area, the focus on breakfast-friendly establishments has been growing in Delaware over the past few years.
Metro Diner franchises have been popping up in New Castle County over the past three years and other new eateries focused on the first meal of the day include First Watch and Eggspectation, both near Stanton;Turning Point in Christiana, and the new Ciro Forty Acres, which opened in late July in Wilmington.
Last April,The Legend, a new American restaurant and bakery near the New Castle County Airport, took over the spot of the formerArner's restaurant.
A first look at Goober's
Goober's Diner in Wilmington is a two-story structure, built in Atlanta, that was reconstructed a few weeks agoacross from Grotto Pizza off Pennsylvania Avenue.
The"Great American" 1950s-style modular buildingwas shipped on a flatbed truck in several pieces and reassembled on site.
Whenit was exposed, "it was like a Barbie house. You could see through it," jokedTom Hannum, a co-owner of Buckley's Tavern in Centreville.
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Hannumwill run the diner for owner Vance Kershner, who also is a partner at Buckley's. The diner is a companion to a next-doorvintage car garage, known as Goober's Garage.It houses a vast collection of classic automobiles andmotorcycles owned by Kershner.
Goober's Garage willnot be open regularly to the public, butHannum said dinercustomers will beable to view the cars on special occasions.
Delaware has allowed indoor service at restaurants since June, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, it has capped customer capacity at 60percent.
Tables and booths must be arranged in a way that ensures customers at one table are at least 6-feet apart from customers who are adjacent to or facing them.
No date has been given when full-service dining in Delaware restaurants can resume.
Until restrictions are lifted, patrons at Goober's Diner will be seated at every third counter stool, said Hannum as he led a reporter through the two-story building that has a black-and-white checkerboard floor and red-and-white tile on the walls.
Tables, equipped with USBcharging stations, will be spaced out among the two stories. Patrons can access the second floor via afull-service passenger elevator. (Because the dishwashing station is onthe second floor, the restaurant also has a dumbwaiter.)
The diner will have a walk-up window for quick-on-the-go sandwiches and coffee. Hannum said Goober's will havemore than a dozen parking spots and parking available on Lincoln Street. He said a red-and-blue neon sign should be erected on the diner soon.
Goober's will serve breakfast all day with dishes such as Kirby & Holloway sausage gravy and biscuits ($9.95), creamed chipped beef with toast and cheesy potatoes ($9.95), and chocolate chip hotcakes with a choice of bacon, scrapple, sausage or turkey bacon ($8.95).
Dinner will be served Tuesdays through Saturdays until 9 p.m. It will close Sundays and Mondaysat 7 p.m.
The menu also will offerburgers, onion rings and classic Reuben sandwiches along withentrees under $12 including fried chicken, fried flounder, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken pot pie, salmon croquettes and open-faced crab melts.
"A more modern feel' at Brandywine
Brandywine Diner, just a few miles away, also will be aretro-style stainless steel diner.
"I have often gravitated toward retro style feels for my previous locations,but decided to go with a more modern theme with the Brandywine Diner," said Andy Elghawy, who will be the sole owner of the site.
He said the diner will be open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight.
Brandywine Dinerwill have 235 seats. For a quicker dining experience, Elghawy said customerscan also sitat a counter area.
For larger gatherings, the restaurant will have two dining rooms which can accommodate larger parties or be booked forfamily events and business meetings.
Elghawy said hedid not originally plan on having outdoor dining, "but given recent events, we intend to add outdoor seating."
Brandywine Dinerwill have anextensive menu withbreakfast, lunch and dinner dishes. He said italso will offerGreek specialtyand Mediterranean dishes.
Baking will be done on the premises and a dessert case will feature several pastries, including the owner's favorite strawberry cheesecake.
A website, brandywinediner.com, is coming soon, as is a Facebook page. The menu will be posted on the website.
Diners are favorite Delaware landmarks
Stainless steel diners have a long history in Delaware.
When it comes to the best preservedstainless steel diner in the state,Doyle's in Selbyville (formerly Woody's) is the oldest one.
In 2015, a historical marker was placed outside of the beautifully preserved Silk City diner that sits offU.S. 113.The Silk City diner car was first brought to Sussex Countyfrom Paterson, New Jersey,in 1950.
The Sturgis family owned and operated the property until 1983 when it was purchased by the Doyle family.
The chrome Hollywood Diner at 123 N. Dupont Highway in Dover has long been a Kent County landmark. It was one of six stainless steel Hollywood Diners, built by the Fodero Dining Car Co. of Bloomfield, New Jersey, that were situated from Wilmington to Seaford.
The Doverdiner, the only one remaining, has had a rocky history over the years, and the site has been closed since 2019.
The formerChesDel Restaurant in St. Georges, which closed in February 2018 after a 38-year run, was made up of two old stainless steel diners that had been put together by the restaurant owners.
According to News Journal archives, ChesDel owners Earle and Mary Lesterbought the former Country Girl Diner in Wilmingtonand moved it to their farm south of the St. Georges Bridge.
Then, they combined it with the old Viking Diner, which had been at Hares Corner.According to News Journal archives, they pay about $18,000 for the two diners.
After combining the diners, the Lesterscovered the outside of the building with tan stone. The light atop the building was salvaged from the old Glasgow Arms in Bear.
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico
