Diane's Diner

On August 6, 2014, I had lunch with two of my daughters at Diane's Diner, the new location for the displaced Amherst Diner operation. The restaurant is at 2235 Valor Drive, just across from the Shawnee Rescue Squad near Valor Drive's intersection with Weems Lane.

It is at the north end of a long building with multiple suites along the west side of Valor Drive, and easily accessed from Weems Lane. Most of the building's suites are vacant.

Other building tenants include the Star Beauty School, 2263 Valor Drive, at the south end of the building, the City Church, located in the building's center at 2249 Valor Drive, and a Martial Arts facility at 2241 Valor Drive.

Off-street parking is available all along the front of the front of the building, and includes two handicapped spaces at the entrance at 2235 Valor. Additional parking for Diane's is available at spaces abutting the north side of the building. The parking situation is much better than at Amherst Street.

Diane's Diner opened for business on Monday, August 4, and is open every day. The hours are 6:00 AM-8:00 PM Monday-Friday, 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM Saturday, and 7:00 AM to 2:30 PM on Sunday; the phone number is (540) 667-1556. These premises were last occupied by T. C. Tootie's Sports Pub.

As you come in the front door into the seating area, there are two round tables against a chest-high partition on your right. On the other side of the partition are two square tables for four. On your left are four tables seating four, and a table for two against the back wall. T. C. Tootie's Pub had nine TV screens; Diane's Diner has none.

Further along on the left is the station of the cashier, a young man named Eli who seated us. His station is at the front end of a long, straight counter with ten stools. The backward-running clock from the Amherst location is high on the wall behind the counter, along with the previous humorous signs which also made the trip. Five booths are along the right side of the room.

The four-page menu's main categories are Breakfast, served at all hours; Lunch, with Sandwiches, Soups and Salads, and Beverages; Dinner, served with a choice of two vegetables and coffee or tea; a Kid's Menu (ages 10 and under), and Desserts.

I ordered a bowl of chili with a slice of cornbread. One of my daughters ordered a steak and cheese sub, with a side of onion rings, while the other ordered a crab cake dinner.

Diane herself came around to ask everyone about his food, and we told her that it was good. In fact, it was so filling that none of us wanted dessert.

The rest rooms are toward the back, off a hall on the left beyond the end of the counter, and are much larger than the Amherst Street's cramped facilities.

The men's room has two sinks and two stalls, along with a urinal. One of the stalls is larger for handicapped use. I'm told that the ladies' room was equally large, with two sinks and three or four stalls, with one for handicapped use.

The kitchen is all the way in the back. The combination of windows along the front and side gives the place a light and airy ambience, and the floor plan is not crowded. The seating capacity of the place is greater than the old location's, and today's crowd would have had people waiting in line there.