Walker’s Diner is under new management, according to Loretta Graham. She, her husband Steve Graham and Rob Chapman purchased and started running the diner in late 2016.
"We opened on November the 29th (2016)," said Graham.
The diner has already changed its hours, according to Graham, to include more breakfast patrons.
"We're closed on Mondays. Tuesday through Friday we're open at 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. On Saturdays we open at 8 (a.m.)and close at 4 (p.m.). On Sundays we open at 8 (a.m.), close at 2:30 (p.m.)," Graham said. "We changed the hours because we were missing out the breakfast crowd. As we were before, we were opening at 8 (a.m.) and by then everyone was already at work by then.”
The menu has also undergone several changes, according to Graham. As with the hours, several items were added to accommodate breakfast customers.
“We’ve added a lot of breakfast specials,” said Graham.
According to her, more vegetables and lunch options have also been added.
“We’ve added vegetables back to the menu,” Graham said. “We have plate lunches, we have a lot of daily specials.”
According to Graham, the diner has also expanded its specialty goods and dessert options.
“We have plenty of dessert now,” she said. “We also have homemade dog treats.”
She also indicated that the diner hopes to utilize more of their space outside.
“We’re adding more tables outside,” Graham said. “We hope eventually to have a covered area for eating outside.”
She also indicated the possibility of Walker’s Diner hosting events in their space in the future.
“We hope to have events here in the summer, maybe in the fall,” said Graham.
She said that diner is also looking to optimize its menu to the tastes of college students.
“We’re catering to the college, because they’re a bigger crowd,” Graham said. “They are the biggest group of customers.”
The diner is also in the process of reconstruction of its website, according to Rob Chapman, one of the co-owners.
“We looking for someone to help us with the website,” Chapman said. “One of the classes at Longwood may be helping us out.”
The old website, walkersdiner.com, is no longer in use and the hours listed online (through Google and Tripadvisor) are currently inaccurate.
“They’re going to start working on it (the website) in May,” Graham said.
Chapman is optimistic for the future of the diner.
“Things are going great, and we’re looking forward to further improvements,” Chapman said.
