A piece of Oswego culture reopened last Saturday, after closing because of a devastating fire last August. Overcoming great odds, Wade’s Diner, the 78 year-old restaurant welcomed back droves of customers.
Wade’s owner Tony Zappala has been serving hearty breakfasts since 1983, but August 10, 2015 was by far, his most difficult day on the job.
“It was devastating,” Zappala said. “It’s a little icon in Oswego. People come here, we have a lot of good customers, a lot of great customers, and all of a sudden it’s gone.”
It was on a Monday when a fire tore through the kitchen and interior of the restaurant.
“When the fire happened it never showed any damage to the outside of the building, so customers would come up thinking the diner was open,” Zappala said.
For the first time since 1937, Wade’s Diner closed its doors, but Zappala knew it wouldn’t be for long.
Zappala’s staff, stayed with him every step of the way.
“They all agreed that they wanted to come back,” Zappala said. “They said we’d be there, just as soon as you open; we’ll be there. And through the rebuilding process everyone of my people, were almost on a daily basis, helping to rebuild this place.”
The rebuild took about six-months and everything, including appliances and countertops, had to be replaced. Sparkling new stainless steel and smooth green leather booths fill the new space.
“People will be amazed when they come in here,” Zappala said. “We’ve made a lot of changes, but when they come through that front door. They’re going to see the old diner.”
This past Friday, most of Zappala’s day was spent prepping for the masses, making homemade breakfast sausage, baking aromatic cinnamon bread and slicing potatoes by the pound for home fries.
On opening day, customers swarmed the restaurant. From 6 a.m. to noon, the interior was a whir of commotion. The corner of East eighth and Route 104 was packed with both regulars and newcomers, who had been waiting eight months for this day to come.
Betty and Wayne Green had been coming to Wade’s for nearly half a century.
“We were devastated when we learned of the fire, and of course we’ve been very anxious for this moment,” Wayne Green said.
They waited in line for just under an hour, but it was worth the wait. “I’m just looking for my cheese omelet, home fries, and bacon,” Betty said.
Allen Thurlow, a 25 year veteran of Wade’s took his usual morning walk from his home on East eighth , just minutes from the restaurant. Thurlow has been coming to Wade’s for so long he orders his breakfast with a head nod and a smile.
“The waitresses are all the same, the food is all the same and they don’t even ask me what I want. It’s the same thing every time,” Thurlow said. “I walk in, take my seat at the counter and my food is there in minutes.”
Wade’s Diner is making the old, new again, bringing the classic American diner into the modern era and rebuilding the Oswego community it’s relied for business on for so many years.
