Hogan's Diner

Hogan's Diner was the restaurant no one went to but somehow stayed in business. We tried to tell the owner, Hogan, to fold and start a different diner. He said every time that he would stay there and keep chugging along. He got enough truckers to come in at night and keep his little restaurant afloat. It was cheap and gross. But it was edible. Because there were almost no other restaurants in town, if you really didn't want to cook, and had Chinese recently, the only thing that there was else to eat was Hogan's Diner. Everyone's last resort.

The only other restaurant was a Chinese food restaurant on the other side of town. It was not even good Chinese food. In fact, a very dingy corner restaurant. The owner was nice, like Hogan. Not stubborn though. Unlike Hogan. Now, we did have delis and other shops. At one point, there was a lunch counter. But those went out of fashion and no one went to them anymore. So it went out of business. It was long gone before I moved here. Or before I was born. When I very first moved here, there was a central restaurant. It served Indian-Thai food. It was good but went out of business. The owners got old and could not handle a whole restaurant anymore.

So we're stuck with Hogan's Diner or Chinese food. Because gas is expensive, and the next town over is quite a drive, that's what we in the town are stuck with. Well, one day I forgot to get my groceries on the weekend. I deep cleaned my house instead. So I knew all week I would have leftovers and eat out. On Monday, I had leftover Swedish meatballs from a few nights before. On Tuesday I had Chinese food from the dingy corner restaurant downtown. On Wednesday I had leftovers from that. On Thursday, there were no more leftovers and there was not enough food for Friday's lunch and dinner.

So I forced myself in my car, drove over, got out of my car, and went into Hogan's Diner. I was mumbling under my breath, already knowing I had to get extra food for tomorrow. At this rate, I might as well go to a few towns over and go to a good restaurant. But then I think about the terribly high prices. Just cheaper to eat here and pretend like it tastes good. Much easier than paying a lot for food and gas. The bus was dirty, and only one at nightfall. The train took a while to get to, and well, it was just so much easier. Cheaper. And the owner was a nice man. So, I had no other choice but to eat here at Hogan's Diner.

The most despised, lowest rated, and most avoided restaurant in town. Of course. This had to be the place where I had to eat. Hogan's Diner. The outside was super faded. The building had mold and algae on the front, and the roofing job was falling apart. I could have sworn one of their shingles hit me in the head. I held my breath, told myself to get through it, and went inside. It stank. It really really stank. The floors were concrete and had gum spat on the floor. Disgusting. There was only Hogan at the front desk, running it all. The only other person who worked here was his wife, who cooked the food.

"Hello! Never seen you around in here stranger. Table for one?" Hogan asks. I nod. I'm still looking at the extremely stained walls with dirt on them. Hogan seats me at a table and tells me to wait just a second. I'm already regretting coming here. "Are you a local?" Hogan asks when he pours me water at my table. I nod. He nods back. "Well, flag me over whenever you are ready to order. Take your time my dear. Can I get you some bread or anything to drink like a soda?" I ask him for some bread and ginger ale. He went into the back. By the time he got back, I was pretty much ready to order some food.

As I said, Hogan was very nice. Not his restaurant, but he himself was very nice. He got me some food, and then once I was done he got me a to-go box. I was just about ready to leave when a rat ran out of the kitchen. I immediately wanted to vomit. That little rodent could be in my food. Could have been in my food. Could have its little rabis or whatever in my body because I ate their food. This was super unsanitary. I lost it completely on the couple once the rodent was out. First, I actually vomited. And then I told them that they needed to straighten up.

Even though I'm no food critic, a health inspector, or anything else like that, I know when a place needs to do a better job and begin to clean up the restaurant. "Look, I know you two are doing the best you can. I know this place is everything to both of you. But it could use some repairs and be a bit cleaner. I was willing to overlook all those things. Tired truck drivers do too. But having a rat in your kitchen is not something that your customers want to see when they come in or par for your food and eat it. I shouldn't have blown up. I'm sorry I vomited, but please keep the rats out of the kitchen, or at least away from the food!" I urge.

They look at me, at each other, and started to cry. "We don't have any money. We would like donations, but we have none. We are sorry for the rat. Please, do not make our rating any bit lower! We are already suffering so much. Please, please, please! We beg you! We will make your meal free if that will make you feel better. We do not have rats, one just came in through the back door from the trash can because we took the trash out!" They sob. I feel sorry for them. I have never seen people like them cry before. Ever in my entire existence. It made me want to cry with them.

"How about this. If you make my meal free and clean up with no charge, I will give you a five-star rating and tell the entire town to come to visit your restaurant. I will even donate some money to your business." They nodded and quickly cleaned. They erased the price and praised me. Hogan was nice. He deserved this, as this business really did make him happy. I donated some money. The only thing I talked to anybody that week about was Hogan's Diner. By the end of the week, the business was thriving much more than before.

I started going to Hogan's Diner more regularly. His restaurant was really in need. And maybe if I had got my groceries that week, they would be out of business. I wouldn't have found a little family. A place to care for. My life has never been so good.