Latest News

Skee's to become welcome center

Category: Latest

Published Date

The Hartford Courant reports that [b]Skee's Diner[/b], one of the oldest extant diners in the country, will finally find a new use. Unfortunately, that will not involve serving any food. The Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce will use it as a welcome center in Torrington. We first heard about this possibility about a year ago (or more), and while this use is better than some of the alternatives, we place it far down the list where use as a diner ranks number one. We certainly hope that the WCCC puts this diner to better use than the City of Worcester, Massachusetts when it also used a diner as a welcome center and information booth on its downtown common. That diner ultimately passed through a few hands and it shuttled from place to place before an arsonist almost destroyed the structure as it sat in a city park. We featured Skee's in an early issue of Roadside during the all-too-brief period when Amal Boughenam stood behind the counter. Amal's brand of lovingly prepared meals served with a warm and glowing smile made the experience unforgettable. Sadly, contemporary economics of restaurant operation make such 20-seat stuctures almost completely impossible to run profitably. Exceptions like [b]Casey's Diner[/b] in Natick, Massachusetts exist because of their severely limited menu and a well-established reputation dating back 50 years or more. According to the Courant editorial: [i]The Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, supported by Torrington officials and a number of other groups, is buying the former eatery. It will be moved about a mile to a commuter parking lot just off Route 8 in Torrington, where it will be restored and used as a welcome and information center, said JoAnn Ryan, president and CEO of the chamber. Instead of laying into a plate of hash browns at the tan marble counter, customers will tap on computers to find information about the state's Northwest Corner. Ms. Ryan said the diner will be fully restored but will not serve food. She said there's no need, with several other restaurants and coffee shops at the new location. This is a fine reuse of an interesting historic building. Built in 1926, Skee's is typical of the barrel-roof diners common in New England in the early 20th century. It could accommodate 17 customers on round swivel stools at the counter, and features such details as wood cabinetry with brass fittings, green and yellow one-inch ceramic floor tile, an enameled metal ceiling and frosted windows.[/i] Read the full article [url=http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-skees.artjan21,0,6702377.story]here[/url].