By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Shrewsbury – It took a bit longer than they planned but Nov. 11 the new owners of the iconic Edgemere Diner were finally able to open their doors for business.
Michael Novick and Stephen Colangelo have been friends since their kindergarten days growing up in Worcester. Both have decades of restaurant experience but this is their first foray into ownership.
Purchasing the diner, which had been closed since last year, was purely by happenstance, Novick said.
“I was driving by the diner one day, saw it was for sale and asked [Colangelo] if he wanted to go in with me,” he recalled. “He said ‘yes.’”
The diner was actually first located in Boston before it was moved in the late 1950s to its current site at 51 Hartford Turnpike (Route 20), not far from the Shrewsbury/Worcester line. In 1995 the town of Shrewsbury took over ownership after a tax issue with the previous owners. In subsequent years it was leased for two or three years at a time until shutting down in 2005. In 2008 it reopened as a hotdog stand, “The Edge.” That business also shut down last year and the diner once again was closed until Colangelo and Novick bought it.
The two men closed on the property at the end of June.
That, as it turned out, was the easy part.
“We thought it would take about a month but it had to be cleaned,” Colangelo said. “A lot.”
The building also needed renovations, much of it done by the two men. While they use professionals for some tasks, they also tapped into their network of friends to help.
“We owe a lot of people free breakfasts,” Colangelo laughed.
Vintage booths and chairs were reupholstered to reclaim their 1950s charm. Layers of flooring were stripped in the kitchen and then a new floor was put down. The original tile floor in the dining area was saved after a thorough cleaning.
The two restrooms, which are accessed by going outside the diner, were also completely renovated.
“When we bought the building, the men’s room door was totally stuck,” Colangelo said. “Apparently it was never opened so it was never used. When we finally got it open it had trees growing in there.”
Original signs that were once outside are now displayed opposite the counter seats. Chalkboards announce daily specials, including one favorite from the diner’s past, the “Beat the House.” The dishes and mugs were all purchased either at yard sales or flea markets, Colangelo said.
Right now the two men are handling most of the work with Colangelo in the kitchen and Novick overseeing the dining room. Colangelo’s niece Kelly Hartnett is also helping out at times.
The restaurant, which seats 40, will be open each day, Tuesday through Sunday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Many had been eagerly awaiting the opening, Colangelo said, especially those from the nearby neighborhoods.
“One man was here at 5:45 a.m. the day we opened,” he added. “And the first few days we were filled to capacity almost all the time.”
“It’s definitely a lot of work,” he added, “but we’re excited.”
For more information visit the Edgemere Diner’s Facebook page. To see more photos visit www.communtyadvocate.com, click on “home” and “photo galleries.”