ZEELAND, Mich — Everyone loves a family owned restaurant, especially when it's been a staple in the community for over a century.
For 100 years and counting, Frank's has been a place filled with family, friends, and burgers.
I got to talk to the family that keeps this historic diner alive — and some loyal customers who worked at Frank's Diner back in the 1950s — which puts this place at the heart of Zeeland.
Four generations.
Shane Hammer, the fourth generation of family owners at Frank's Diner, said, “My great grandpa and grandma, Frank Sr. and Mary, came here from Italy in the 1920s, and started this as a confectionery in the 20s.”
A century of burgers.
Server Jill Raak, said, “Olive burgers, mushroom Swiss, the boom-boom is very popular.”
And a hangout spot that serves up much more than a hearty meal.
“It was a popular place to work because all the boys would hang out here,” lifelong friends Joyce and Mary Dewitt and Pauline Hall, said.
Frank's Diner has always been a household name.
“Restaurants need the support of their communities, and this one has it,” current Frank's Diner owner Teresa Vanderzwagg remarked.
Vanderzwagg told me that Frank's Diner still looks like it did when they opened in 1924.
Vanderzwagg added, “It’s very important to keep it the same — the same vibrancy, the same spirit. If it’s worked for 100 years, why would you change it?"
But before Vanderzwagg, there was Hammer and his family.
“Our family became Zeeland’s family so to speak,” Hammer said.
Before Hammer, there was the three friends who served at Frank's Diner while in high school in the 1950s.
“It was the hangout. For a lot of the kids. It was a lot of fun,” they all said.
All three of them made a pretty penny, too. However, it seems that Pauline Hall was robbed of a few cents.
“I started out at 35 cents and I ended at 45 after four years with a nickel raise each year," Pauline Hall said.
"I remember 50 cents… I don’t know how that happened,” Mary Dewitt added.
What was true then, is true now.
“Everyone just came in here and kind of just forgot about their problems,” Hammer said.
Frank's Diner is more than just food — it's a family.
“Everyone in our family poured their heart and soul out — it was a labor of love,” Hammer remarked.
Some might even say it's a piece of history.
“It’s a time capsule, really, it’s pretty cool,” Hammer said.
To get a taste of history, you can visit Frank's Diner Monday through Saturday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
On Thursday, August 22, there will be live music in downtown Zeeland where the burgers will be, well, booming.
For more information, click here.
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