Good food, service are Midway Diner hallmarks

Popular U.S. chef Michael Symon, a frequent personality on television's Food Network, knows a good thing when he eats it. "I still eat at the same diner I did as a kid with my parents," he admitted recently while pointing to his favorite hometown diner located along Cleveland's Lake Erie waterfront. In the case of Rutland's Midway Diner & Steakhouse, there appear to be plenty of folks who agree with Symon's philosophy about good food and the American classic—the diner. The Midway Diner, established in 1948 and completely rebuilt in 1996, is among Rutland's oldest, most successful eating establishments. Fancy restaurants come and go—such as the South Station Restaurant, which closed last month—but no frills, all-American eateries like the Midway manage to stand the test of time. Regardless of their long history of success, the two owners of the Midway Diner, as well as their diner staff, will tell you it takes a lot of hard work. "What the formula for success? Hard work, good food, good service, consistency, and pleasant workers are what really matter in the long run," says John Valenti, who operates the diner with partner Frank Trombetta. Trombetta also owns Midway Oil in Rutland County. Valenti's daughter, Lisa Valenti Blanchard, manages the day-to-day details of the restaurant. The original Midway Diner was started by Eddie Copps. In 1962, Copps retired and sold it to Trombetta's father, Frank, Jr. Frank, Jr., bought the diner with the idea of adding a Philips 66 service station right along Main Street/Route 7. The diner was moved back to a new footprint; the gas station was built to serve local folks, as well as out-of-towners, along U.S. Route 7. "Between 1962 and 1978," Valenti notes, "my partner Frank's father—Frank, Jr. and his tow brothers—owned the place. I was the manager. Then, Frank and I became partners in 1978." Valenti, a native of Italy, is proud of his heritage and the contributions Italians made to the Rutland-area economy. "Italian immigrants knew how to prepare food, quarry stone, and cut lumber," he says. "We grew to become a big part of Vermont, especially in the Rutland community." In 1996, having outgrown their classic old-style diner, Valenti and Trombetta decided to revamp the facility to provide expanded seating, more space for dinner meetings and social get togethers, and updated food-preparation equipment. Diners have a solid place in the American psyche. While older customers predominate, younger people are discovering local diners provide homemade-style foods and friendly, local service not found in the fast-food chain restaurants. The classic American diner is a lot like an older mobile home; the structure is typically narrow to enable roadway transportation from manufacturer to destination. Years ago, diners were often adapted from retired railroad dining cars. "You always find the customers who were attached to the old building," Valenti said, "but that thing was getting old. Those old diners weren't really built for the Northeast. You'd freeze in the winter and find it hard to cool in the summer. Then, parts were hard to find since the manufacturer was no longer in business." Despite it's modern construction, the new Midway Diner is evocative of its post-war predecessor; it still attracts die-hard diner customers. Several of the Midway's "old timers" having been coming to the diner since the 1960s. "I remember when the lot would be filled with big trucks," Valenti said, admitting that convenient stores and fast-food chains have siphoned some—but not all—of the dining clientele. Regardless, Rutland's established eateries such as the Midway Diner and Seward family restaurant are still on Rutland's top 10 hit parade. "When the Howe Scale factory was still operating with its 500 employees," Valenti recalls, "we'd get swamped with workers on their lunch break. The waitresses really had to hustle." With the decline of industrial Rutland, the Midway Diner came to rely on other locals, with a growing number of white collar workers, and the over 35,000 cars that travel daily along Route 7—through Rutland—between Bennington and Burlington. Valenti also recalls those Howe Scale workers paying 97 cents for a lunch plate in 1962. "97 cents plus the three percent food tax," he adds. Today, while Vermont dining habits may have changed when compared to 1948, the Midway Diner still thrives, not afraid to reinvent itself over the decades. To mark its solid place in the Vermont firmament, the Midway has had its share of celebrity sightings over the years. "Movie actor Treat Williams was in here last week," Valenti says. "He is a very nice man. No one bothered him for an autograph. We just let him enjoy his meal in peace." Other celebrities spotted in the Midway recently have been actress Morgan Fairchild, U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (vermont's senior senator drops by the diner every time he's in Rutland), Vermont movie director David Giancola, among others. "I always remember the time Jo Ann Castle visited here," Valenti adds. "She is a fabulous honky tonk piano player. Old timers will remember her from the Lawrence Welk Show." While predating the diner, Valenti recalls when future T.V. comedian Red Skelton was in town. Skelton, who performed in his early years in Montreal, was a visitor Vermont. Some fans believe the comic's classic "Doughnuts Dunkers"—which he later performed with his wife on stage—was inspired by visits to Dellveneri's Bakery on Terrill Street. There, Skelton first observed the humor of how different people selected and ate their doughnuts. Celebrities aside, the Midway Diner staff aren't ones for boasting, but they are justifiably proud of sticking to the mission statement many restaurants have forgotten—good food, good service, and great prices. === Midway Diner & Steakhouse: Fun Facts •One of Vermont's oldest operating diners. •Coffee, Tea or Nancy: Between 1962 and 2012, veteran Midway Diner waitress Nancy Lampiasi has served her customers approximately 1.5 million cups of coffee. •Got liver and onions? The Midway is one of the last eating places in Vermont that still serves the old American standby. •Most asked about menu item: chipped beef on toast (aka "S on a Shingle"). •Half-century employee: Nancy Lampiasi started waitressing in 1962. •Most loyal chef: Chef Paul Dupaw has been on the diner staff for 20 years—he could be the "Fastest Cook in Rutland County". •Price of a lunch platter in 1962: 97 cents. •Celebrity sighting: Actor Treat Williams in March 2013. •Attention localvores: Midway eggs from Maple Meadow Farm, MacKenzie meats, Thomas Dairy products, Papa John's maple syrup, all-local veggies in season. •Speciality: Aside from all the homemade menu items, the Midway roasts its own turkeys for the best open-face turkey sandwichs (with o without gravy) in Vermont.

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Good food, service are Midway Diner hallmarks

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