Looking for a shortcut to the Cross Bronx Expressway, I came up with the idea of cutting through the Zerega Industrial Business Zone. The area has historically catered to scrap yards, small factories, mechanic shops, and depots. One wouldn't see any type of eatery or even a candy store within many blocks, which I always found strange because it would seem to be a good idea to have a place to serve food to the many hungry surrounding stomachs. While driving down the block my eyes popped open at the sight that a diner was having a grand opening. The name of the establishment is Ralph's Diner. It just seemed so out of place among the many blocks of parked trucks and junk yards, but the bold idea forced me to return a few days later to try it out.
Parking on the street could be quite tough as the spaces fill rather quickly with the many workers nearby, but luckily Ralph's Diner offers a spacious lot. There was only one car in the parking lot when I arrived and the Grand Opening signs were still up, so I wasn't sure if it was a case that they were open for business or they were just setting up for the opening. The front door was held open, so I took it as a gesture that they were serving customers. I slowly walked in to scan the inside, and I found that the place was completely empty. When looking forward again, I saw the salad bar was fully stocked and there were two pots of coffee on, so it appeared they indeed were open for business. Finally, I saw some humans; one was a Chinese guy who appeared to be the owner or a manager, and the other was a Chinese lady who was dressed as a waitress. This sent off alarm bells in my mind as usually Greek people have a handle of this type of business, I had never seen a Chinese-run diner before. The concern I had would be the same as if a Greek person was going to make me a small chicken lo mein.
With the inside totally empty it would've been a little silly to ask for a table, so I just sat up at the long counter. The guy noticed I was staying, so he took the remote control and turned on the two flat-screen televisions that are perched over the counter. The menu options were very ordinary for a diner and didn't list anything unique from the rest of the pack. When judging a diner, there's three important factors that determine if it will make it or not: breakfast, cheeseburger, and coffee. The time of the day was in between breakfast and lunch, and since coffee doesn't go well with a burger, the best way to at least sample two of the three requirements would be to order breakfast and coffee. I selected the french toast with blueberry (compote) topping and a cup of coffee. Interestingly enough, unlike most other diners, they actually heated the blueberry compote instead of serving it cold, and I found it to be a delightful idea. Another pleasant surprise was when the waitress brought out the syrup; it wasn't in the small Smuckers packages that you peel open, it wasn't in the glass jar dispenser you open with your thumb, it was in a regular syrup bottle that you would buy in your friendly neighborhood supermarket and use at home. The heating of the compote would've been worth the trip alone, but then having the syrup in the "home" bottle certainly put it over the top.
While I was there for thirty minutes with my breakfast and my refill of coffee, no one else happened to venture in. Most of the time the waitress just looked out the window while the guy hurried around doing small errands. I wondered perhaps if the two of them were married or related somehow. Around the time I was done I saw a few more employees come out from the back. It seemed they were doing some other type of work as they certainly weren't needed to handle the large crowd of just me. The inside is done up nice, there's plenty of room, the flat-screen television sets, the breakfast was good, as was the coffee. It seems all the ingredients are there for a successful franchise, its just a matter whether the local workers will use it for breakfast, coffee breaks, and lunch. Foot traffic is also important for any business and there's no reason for people to really be walking around there unless they work in the area, so Ralph's Diner certainly has that fact of life not in their favor.
They're just going to have to hope many other people are looking for shortcuts to the Cross Bronx Expressway with an empty stomach....
Parking on the street could be quite tough as the spaces fill rather quickly with the many workers nearby, but luckily Ralph's Diner offers a spacious lot. There was only one car in the parking lot when I arrived and the Grand Opening signs were still up, so I wasn't sure if it was a case that they were open for business or they were just setting up for the opening. The front door was held open, so I took it as a gesture that they were serving customers. I slowly walked in to scan the inside, and I found that the place was completely empty. When looking forward again, I saw the salad bar was fully stocked and there were two pots of coffee on, so it appeared they indeed were open for business. Finally, I saw some humans; one was a Chinese guy who appeared to be the owner or a manager, and the other was a Chinese lady who was dressed as a waitress. This sent off alarm bells in my mind as usually Greek people have a handle of this type of business, I had never seen a Chinese-run diner before. The concern I had would be the same as if a Greek person was going to make me a small chicken lo mein.
With the inside totally empty it would've been a little silly to ask for a table, so I just sat up at the long counter. The guy noticed I was staying, so he took the remote control and turned on the two flat-screen televisions that are perched over the counter. The menu options were very ordinary for a diner and didn't list anything unique from the rest of the pack. When judging a diner, there's three important factors that determine if it will make it or not: breakfast, cheeseburger, and coffee. The time of the day was in between breakfast and lunch, and since coffee doesn't go well with a burger, the best way to at least sample two of the three requirements would be to order breakfast and coffee. I selected the french toast with blueberry (compote) topping and a cup of coffee. Interestingly enough, unlike most other diners, they actually heated the blueberry compote instead of serving it cold, and I found it to be a delightful idea. Another pleasant surprise was when the waitress brought out the syrup; it wasn't in the small Smuckers packages that you peel open, it wasn't in the glass jar dispenser you open with your thumb, it was in a regular syrup bottle that you would buy in your friendly neighborhood supermarket and use at home. The heating of the compote would've been worth the trip alone, but then having the syrup in the "home" bottle certainly put it over the top.
While I was there for thirty minutes with my breakfast and my refill of coffee, no one else happened to venture in. Most of the time the waitress just looked out the window while the guy hurried around doing small errands. I wondered perhaps if the two of them were married or related somehow. Around the time I was done I saw a few more employees come out from the back. It seemed they were doing some other type of work as they certainly weren't needed to handle the large crowd of just me. The inside is done up nice, there's plenty of room, the flat-screen television sets, the breakfast was good, as was the coffee. It seems all the ingredients are there for a successful franchise, its just a matter whether the local workers will use it for breakfast, coffee breaks, and lunch. Foot traffic is also important for any business and there's no reason for people to really be walking around there unless they work in the area, so Ralph's Diner certainly has that fact of life not in their favor.
They're just going to have to hope many other people are looking for shortcuts to the Cross Bronx Expressway with an empty stomach....
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