I had not been there for a few years because the last time I ate there, it had fallen on very hard times.
If I may ...
"Had fallen on very hard times"? They're still on very hard times. Have you really looked at the inside? The place is always dingy and dirty, never been updated. The ceiling tiles should have been replaced a decades ago. The walls are laden with decades of cruddy build up, well it looks like it. There are two cars that have been sitting dead next to the building for years. Big eyesore. Instead of trying to work on his business, the owner sits outside bemoaning the state of the economy, the power plant this, the gas plant that. The cost of orange juice, bacon, eggs, what the markets are doing, etc. Try not to have the misfortune of having him stop by your table to engage in conversation, he will ruin your meal. I tried a steak there once, and saw it being pulled from a freezer bag. Tasted like it too. The breakfasts are good, can't really mess that up. That's were the bacon is freshly cooked, around 6:30 to 7. Scrapple cooked to order too. The staff do do the best they can, and are attentive... only in the morning. In the afternoon, it is a crap-shoot.
Why do I go when I complain? It's the only place I know where I'm not bothered waiting to be seated. I park, go in, sit down at any table, waitress comes over immediately, order taken and coffee poured, timed passed, about 2-5 mins. And be back on the road in about 20-25 mins ... only on weekday mornings. There is one waitress, Diana, that tries to spruce the place up by bringing in art and hanging it on the walls to try and liven up the place. She and another hold that place together ... though only in the mornings when they are there.
Instead of getting the soda fountain machine fixed, the owner gets cases of soda from the store. Same with the ice, at least one time I was there.
The only thing holding that place back from being a real charm, is the owner.