El Diner finally opens its doors

Students stepping into the former Eat at Joe's location on the 3900 block of Walnut Street will find a drastic change from the restaurant that once featured a baby blue convertible in the dining room. El Diner opened today at 9 a.m. and does not plan to close its doors anytime in the near future. Barring unforeseen emergencies, the diner will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The restaurant will be complete with the arrival of tabletops and a liquor license. El Diner is temporarily using the blue tabletops left over from Eat at Joe's -- the only trace of old diner's 50s-style decor. "We will have 140 seats when the tabletops arrive," said Gary Farmer, overseer of the restaurant division of Goldman Properties, which brought El Diner to campus. "And in the springtime we plan to do an outdoor cafe as well." Farmer said he hopes that students will visit El Diner often. "We really created the place for the students," he said. "We tried to design it with the students in mind. I'm hoping they'll like what we're doing." Students have long clamored for an affordable 24-hour restaurant on campus. While the University initially responded by bringing in Eat at Joe's, the former theme restaurant drew complaints about slow service and limited hours. Farmer said that it will take a little time for the diner to run really smoothly. "We did a couple of days of tests, and it's getting better," he said. "It's a lot to learn. It's a big menu." Though some students exiting El Diner aired complaints, patrons had generally positive reactions to the restaurant. "[The prices] were normal for a diner," College senior Tina Armando said. "It's a lot better than Eat at Joe's." "The prices seemed very good," said one diner, Sharon Walton. "It's really a nice restaurant in University City. The atmosphere is like a restaurant downtown." "I really like the decor," added her son, Jamie. Some people, however, felt that El Diner is not a true greasy-spoon diner. "I'm a little biased, since I'm from New Jersey -- diner country," College senior Dan Kirk said. "It's not as greasy as I thought it should be. It's not as authentic." "But the food was fine," he added. With entrees like mushroom risotto and steamed mussels and frites, El Diner may have an edge over other diners in terms of quality of food and lack of grease. Those accustomed to large diner booths and generous smoking sections will have to look elsewhere -- at El Diner there are no booths and smoking is allowed only at the bar. However, breakfast will be served around the clock and most traditional diner dishes are offered, along with a few extras, such as polenta and goat cheese. The grand opening of the restaurant will occur after the liquor license arrives. Farmer expects it to come on February 14, and said that he would like to hold the grand opening the next day. "We're going to have a party," he said. "And I think we'll have a live band."

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