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Just down the street from the train station, it still serves the same bacon and eggs as Bob Sprague dished up when he opened in 1955.
These days Bob's Diner is run by Thomas, a third-generation Sprague. When grandfather Bob retired around 1984, he passed the baton, or rather, the spatula, on to his son, Jimmy. Thomas was 12 at that time and working there as a dishwasher. At 14 he graduated to waiting on tables, at 15 he started cooking and by 16 he had his own shift.
When Jimmy died three years later, the business — and the spatula — passed on to Thomas. He was 19.
As the character of the town changed over the years, so did the operations of Bob's Diner. No longer open all night, the diner now opens at six a.m. and closes at ten p.m. But it still serves all night on Fridays and Saturdays. One of the newer traditions is free Thanksgiving Dinner. Everyone in the community pitches in and donates, said the young Sprague.
Bob's still continues to get some of its original customers. "It's the regulars who keep the place going," said Sprague. "A guy came in yesterday and said, 'I'll have my usual.' When the next guy came, I said, 'You want the usual?' How many usuals are there? Thousands!"
Has the menu altered over time?
"It's a generational thing," he replied. "We still have the same menu, but we're using more fresh ingredients. Back then it was a lot of canned goods."
The most popular thing on the menu?
"It hasn't changed in 60 years. It's still eggs over, bacon, home fries and toast. It used to cost around $2, now it's $6.55."
His own favorite dish? "Breakfast! I could eat breakfast two or three times every morning. We serve it all day long. We close at ten p.m. You want breakfast at 9:58? You got it!"
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