Comfort Food, Family Feel Bring People Back To Toms River Diner

TOMS RIVER, NJ — For years, the Toms River Diner was a hotspot for late-night revelers who were hungry and not quite ready to call it a night.

You could grab an order of disco fries while you talked over the night's events with your friends, or have some coffee and breakfast while you geared up before tackling a full day on very little sleep.

"It was very busy overnights back then," said George Melassanos, the current manager of the diner, which opened in 1970. Times have changed, however. The ultra-late night diner crowds dissipated and have been replaced by the breakfast/brunch patrons and the dinner crews.

One thing that hasn't disappeared is the sense of comfort and family that draws people back time and time again. It's that sense of comfort that has brought people back to the diner in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

"You'll see people coming in and they know each other," he said. "We have people who eat here two to three times a week."

Melassanos manages the diner for owner Mohammed Emara, who bought it in 2017 when the previous owner's lease ran out. The property was very rundown and the inside had to be gutted, Melassanos said.

"It was a full renovation," he said. "New kitchen, new electric, new plumbing." Shiny chrome covers the wall outside the kitchen and gleams inside it as well, and booths and tables welcome patrons. The counter outside the kitchen is lined with stools for people to chat and grab a bite to eat and talk.

The renovations took months, but finally, in late May 2019, Emara, who also owns the Holiday City Diner on Mule Road, was able to reopen the diner. The response was tremendous.

"We were very, very busy," Melassanos said, with both former customers and new ones coming to see the new look.

"Usually when you open a restaurant there's a rush of interest, and over time it settles out to what your normal business level will be," he said. "We never got to see where it would settle out."

The coronavirus pandemic disrupted that, of course. The diner shut down completely at first, then reopened last September, when indoor dining resumed at 25 percent capacity.

"The landlord was helpful during the shutdown," Melassanos said. "We've been fortunate." Emara was able to get funds through the federal Paycheck Protection Program, and that helped.

What helped, too, was the customers who have come back.

"It's the comfort," Melassanos said. "You know when you go you'll find something to order because it's comfort food."

The Toms River Diner menu offers all of the favorites, from a full breakfast selection of eggs, pancakes, and Belgian waffles to club sandwiches to steaks, burgers and chicken dinners. There's even chocolate pudding or Jello for dessert, if you want it.

The family atmosphere is what Melassanos, who grew up working in a diner, loves most.

"It becomes an extension of the home," Melassanos said. "You come as you want, you don't have to dress up. It's a relaxed place."

The Toms River Diner offers takeout as well as dine-in options. You can find them online.

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