Diner Finder OnlineThe Diner Finder is the Internet's best source of real diner information.

See for yourself!

Latest News

Charlton Diner to reopen

This article comes from the Charlton Villager by way of Brian Goslow

Andy Pinto is looking to curry favor with potential customers at his new Indian-flavored restaurant. The 30-year-old Pinto, of Charlton, plans to serve, among other dishes, Indian food, when he reopens the old Yankee Diner on Route 20 in town soon.

The diner, under previous ownership, went out of business about two years ago. While an opening day has not yet been scheduled, Pinto said he hopes to have the dilapidated building, which he is now renovating, open by September. While it was previously known as the Yankee Diner, Pinto plans to call it “Andy’s Yankee Diner.”

The diner will be open Tuesday-Sunday from 5:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. It will be closed Mondays.

Pinto, who hails from India, plans to serve a standard breakfast and lunch menu, but also special Indian dishes, including rice pancakes with curry. “They go really well with curry,” he said. “I want to keep the staple food because that is what I know people will be looking for.”

The menu will also include standard American fare such as bacon and eggs, Pinto said. Pinto’s mission is to revive the diner’s previously rich history, while mixing in the Indian culture he grew up with.

“I am really attached to history. This place has a lot of history,” Pinto said. The diner first opened in 1947, the year India gained its independence from the British Rule, according to Pinto. Carpenter Hill Road resident Robert Brogna had owned the business since the early sixties until he sold it to Christopher and Deborah Downey several years ago, he said.

The building, which resembles a train car, was built in Worcester in 1934, before it was moved to North Attleboro for several years, according to a 2003 newspaper article about the diner. It eventually was moved to Oxford. Brogna bought it and moved the business and building from there to the Route 20 site in Charlton and ran it with his wife, Phyllis,who has since passed away. “We started a diner on a shoestring. We didn’t have much money,” Brogna said by telephone Monday. “It was down to earth old fashion Yankee. Somebody [was] always looking for a second cup of coffee. We had 32 good years there.”

The diner even received national attention when photographs of it were featured at the Smithsonian Institution museum in Washington D.C., according to Brogna.

Pinto said he wants to customers to enjoy new history through a welcoming environment, much like he experienced growing up in India. In that country, he said, visitors are always offered water, coffee or tea when they walk in the door. “Food is never taken for granted,” he said.

Pinto also said he wants the new diner to benefit the town in other ways. He plans to hire four or five employees from the area. “I want to keep it all local,” he said. Toward that goal, Pinto said he is also looking to buy food from local growers. “It is better off you support your own town than big companies,” he said.

Pinto is confident his idea will work, based on the many times people have asked him whether he would serve Indian food. Part of the coziness Pinto aims to create comes from his personality. “I’m a people person,” he said. “I want to be able to communicate with people who come in here.”

Behind Pinto’s goal is his culinary background, for which he received a degree in India. Pinto has opened several restaurants during his career, including one called “Udupibhavan” in Framingham five years ago. The building, which had fallen into disrepair, still needs to be rehabilitated before it can open for business. Pinto, who has also worked as a carpenter, is currently renovating the building. New vestibules were just installed as well as a new grill. Much work remains to be done, including renovating the floor.

A new retail store development had been planned for the site, but property owner Steven Greene put his plans on hold when the economic turned south, according to Town Planner Alan I. Gordon. “He is just sitting on it right now,” Gordon said. The new diner falls in line with what the Town’s Master Plan calls for. It envisions Charlton having a range of business that employ people and are convenient. “…Route 20 has been identified as well-suited to increased commercial growth,” it reads. “As more cars flow through Charlton on Route 20, this area will be well-suited for additional retail development.”

If all goes well, as Pinto is counting on, he will have no trouble attracting business. “If the food is good, the people will be here,” he said.

Ryan Grannan-Doll can be reached by phone at (508) 909-4050, or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

    Riding Shotgun

    Diner Finder Updates

    Miss Washington Diner
    Miss Washington Diner
    Name: Miss Washington Diner
    State: CT
    Jigger's Diner
    Jigger's Diner
    Name: Jigger's Diner
    State: RI
    Garfield Diner
    Garfield Diner
    Name: Garfield Diner
    State: PA
    Saratoga Diner and...
    Saratoga Diner and Restaurant
    Name: Saratoga Diner and Restaurant
    State: NY
    Talk of the Town Diner
    Talk of the Town Diner
    Name: Talk of the Town Diner
    State: NJ
    Show more...

    Get Roadateria

    Subscribe to our e-blast newsletter. 




    Roadside Wire

    Prev Next

    Miss Albany closes -- Diner in danger

    02-03-2012

    Miss Albany closes -- Diner in danger

    Fans of the now former Miss Albany Diner or of diners in general will not be happy about this news.... Read more

    Chagrin Falls shows soft heart for its hardware store

    01-29-2012

    Chagrin Falls shows soft heart for its hardware store

    Who says that the internet hasn't helped the local business? It's all in how you use it.  In the Era of... Read more

    Hollywood to theaters: Upgrade or die

    01-26-2012

    As if small, independent and historic theaters have enough to worry about. Soon they won't even have any films to... Read more

    Classic downtown theater preserved and repurposed

    01-24-2012

    Classic downtown theater preserved and repurposed

    When one thinks of Los Angeles, the notion of a traditional downtown isn't the first image to come to mind.... Read more

    Pittsfield diner stays in the family

    01-17-2012

    Pittsfield diner stays in the family

    Good to see this diner stalwart still going strong. 55 years later, Pittsfield diner is still all in the family By Dick... Read more

    Libby's goes Greek

    01-17-2012

    Libby's goes Greek

    Would it be too much to ask that the new owners simply preserve this rare Worcester diner and keep it... Read more

    New hardware for Amtrak

    01-13-2012

    For all the money that Congress and the President tossed around since 2009, you'd think Amtrak would have all-new-everything by... Read more

    Single screens reviving in traditional neighborhoods

    01-13-2012

    Single screens reviving in traditional neighborhoods

    It's worth mentioning that The Cinema on Clinton Avenue sits right across the street from the fantastic Highland Park Diner... Read more

    Washington Post ten years late to our Pittsburgh party

    01-06-2012

    Washington Post ten years late to our Pittsburgh party

    The Washington Post declares Pittsburgh hip. Welcome to the party, Post. We called this one over ten years ago. We've... Read more

    Experts discuss Amtrak's prospects for profit

    01-06-2012

    The folks over at Freakonomics (which has a podcast I listen to almost religiously) have weighed in on the prospects... Read more

    Diners are Everywhere!

    0282 DinerFinderCover2012-02

    The Diner Finder 2012 edition is now available at Lulu.com. Full color listing of nearly 2000 diners from around the world. Order yours today!

    Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

    Latest Chatters

     

    Site News

    Another site upgrade

      Visitors will notice some subtle changes to the site since Monday night. Because the upgrade and redesign that I implemented last November didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped, I opted to start from scratch instead. Two months later, the site looks pretty solid so far, and had the added bonus of a new, easier-to-use system for our Riding Shotgun bloggers. 

      We hope that you can now use the site without any further technical issues. If you do, by all means, write me immediately and let This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

      Feature Stories

      • 1
      • 2
      • 3
      • 4
      Prev Next

      Customer pays bill with loving video tribute

      Customer pays bill with loving video tribute

      It's a rather dizzying tour of Daddypop's Tumble Inn Diner in Claremont, New Hampshire, but if you want to see... Read more

      Dan's Diner: How to get into roadside heaven

      Dan's Diner: How to get into roadside heaven

      We had some discussion of late about the idea of creating the opposite of the Lou-Roc Award, given to an... Read more

      Staunton to Bristol, Virginia

      Rough Draft Roadtrip - Day 2 The end of this leg couldn't have worked out better. Approaching city limits, I came... Read more

      Rick Sebak visits the Hot Metal Diner

      Hot Metal Diner with Wendy & Her Waitresses from Rick Sebak on Vimeo.A quick visit to the Hot Metal Diner... Read more

      Worcester Deluxe 101

      Worcester Deluxe 101

      Update, July 2011: This story actually has a happy ending. In 2007, Chris Blanchard purchased the Worcester Deluxe 101 from... Read more

      Atlantic City Gamble: A fine idea on paper

      Atlantic City Gamble: A fine idea on paper

      Every Father's Day, I like to take my daughter on a train ride. This year I had the bright idea... Read more

      Trip to the Pop Shop

      Roadside Girl and I have started a little tradition where we take off somewhere together for Father's Day. Of... Read more

      Taking from Teek

      Vacation for the Family Roadside inevitably includes a little diner hunting and chats with strangers at local bars.  Wurtsboro, New York... Read more

      Buffalo to Butler: Birthdays, Baseball, and Buggie…

      Buffalo to Butler: Birthdays, Baseball, and Buggies

      Arcade Restaurant in Titusville, Pennsylvania — one of several stops on our road trip from Grand Island, New York to... Read more

      Drive I-95: No exit left behind

      Drive I-95: No exit left behind

      With the hey-day of the printed travel guide now fading distantly into our rear view mirrors, I consider a book... Read more

      Rough Draft Roadtrip, Day 1: Philadelphia to Staun…

      First day on the road, got out of the house by about 9 A.M. Perfect weather, got into the upper... Read more

      Tom Shanahan on the Owl Diner renovation

      Roadside Video exclusive Four Sisters Owl Diner owner Tom Shanahan talks to Roadside correspondent Tory Germann about the new vestibule he... Read more

      Sundae Driving

      Despite consolidation, a 1930's-era regional dairy makes transition into 21st century intact "Gosh, they just like 'em all, you know?" That's how... Read more

      Roadside Approved Link: OnlynDetroit.com

      Because of its current state of unfortunate affairs and its rich industrial and cultural history, we are in search of... Read more

      Of Juicy Burgers and Slamming Doors

      Of Juicy Burgers and Slamming Doors

      Location, Zoning, and Savvy Ownership keeps 1920's-era Neighborhood Shop in the Running Sara Debold, owner of the Lee Street Deli Neighborhood shops.... Read more

      Atlantic City Gamble: Rolling dice on the rails

      Atlantic City Gamble: Rolling dice on the rails

      I don't gamble. I have too much respect for money and work too hard to earn it to derive any... Read more