Seasonally beautiful decorations, incredible food and top of the line service from a unique staff are the highlights of the new eatery in town – Delano’s Diner located in Leonard Elementary School.
“The service was spectacular,” praised one patron. “I’ve never received such a great meal so quickly.”
“This was just a fabulous lunch,” gushed another satisfied customer.
When this reporter arrived at Leonard Elementary for a 1:30 p.m. reservation, I was surprised to see a spacious waiting area complete with park-style bench seating. Three smiling hosts greeted me, took my name and asked me graciously to please have a seat while my table was prepared.
Upon entering the dining room, I was pleased to find elegant Thanksgiving-themed tables – complete with table clothes, place mats and centerpieces – spaciously scattered throughout a creative hall, which closely resembled a classroom.
And as if tantalizing my eyes were not enough, the wait and kitchen staffs began producing some of the most taste satisfying meals ever seen: turkey and cheese sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly, pasta salad, chicken salad, chips, cookies, pies, and to wash it all down either cider, milk or chocolate milk.
So where did the idea for this impressive restaurant come from? Why, the establishment’s namesake of course – first/second grade split teacher Elizabeth Delano.
“We had just finished our units on money and time,” explained the restaurant owner, “and we are currently working on the concept of working within a community in social studies.”
Delano said she was looking for a way to tie all of these ideas together when she decided it was just time to open a restaurant. She realized that with three categories (the servers, the cooks and the hosts/cashiers) the students would be able to combine all of their new skills into one working environment.
And so Delano’s Diner was born.
“The goal is to understand the different jobs and that each job is important, while at the same time using their skills,” explained Delano. “We’ve talked a lot about what a restaurant looks like, the table cloths, the place mats and such.”
So the 21-student class went to work and created a Thanksgiving feast to end all feasts.
“They’ve done everything,” said Delano, “I pretty much stayed out of it.”
Parents and special guests were invited to make reservations for three available seating times during the restaurant’s far too brief run. Many customers were pleased to find upon arrival that the host or hostess would present them with plenty of “money” for paying their bill.
“You just can’t find this kind of service anywhere else,” said a smiling diner.
While enjoying their homemade-quality lunch, many of the customers were pleased to find their own son or daughter working hard as their wait staff.
“This meal was wonderful, I’d love to come here again for lunch tomorrow,” said proud father Brett Boes.
Even though Delano’s Diner was only in Leonard Elementary for a short time, patrons of the wonderful eatery will be talking about the establishment for years to come.