Jackie’s Diner Grand Opening!
By Rebecca Cross
“Good food and lots of it” is a motto for the new Jackie’s Diner opening October 1 at the old Three Squares Café location in the Virginia Dare Arcade on Main Street. I can personally attest to both the “goodness” and the large portions after sampling some of Jackie’s food. I sampled pulled pork, smoked ribs, a unique potato dish and several sauces and the flavors were all delicious! Plus, the portions were big enough to require a “to go” box for leftovers…although it was so good that I almost finished every last bite!
John & Betsy Herlihy, originally from Sarasota, FL, were recently visiting two of their sons who live in the area, when they stumbled upon the available Three Squares restaurant and “fell in love with it.” In fact, they liked the place so much that they decided to take a leap of faith and sold everything they owned, rented out their house in FL, and moved to Elizabeth City to open Jackie’s Diner. They had previously owned and operated a diner by the same name in Sarasota, and that was sold as well. The new Jackie’s Diner in Elizabeth City will be a comfortable and fun place to eat. “We want people to feel at home, like family, at our diner,” said Betsy. “We like a relaxed atmosphere where customers can come in and talk to each other.” All of the food is homemade (including their BBQ sauce), and they like to put their own spin on their dishes. Managed by daughter-in-law Amy, Jackie’s will be open for breakfast and lunch six days a week. Their menu will include old fashioned breakfast foods such as crunchy French toast, bacon & eggs, corned beef hash, a special recipe biscuits and gravy dish with a dark gravy and spicy sausage, and omelets. For lunch you will find things like hamburgers, pulled pork BBQ, hand dipped old fashioned milkshakes, a special version of the “Cuban” sandwich, smoked meatloaf, smoked chicken soup, and of course, homemade potato salad, pasta salad, some fresh fruit and desserts.
One of the things you will notice immediately as you enter the diner is the greeter “Gus”. Gus is a “Biker-style” mannequin that holds a tray of mints for guests as they enter and exit. He was one of the first things the Herlihys bought for the diner in Sarasota and has been with them for years (see photo). If that isn’t fun enough, the Herlihys also hope to hold a contest called the “Big Daddy Challenge” that originated in FL. The challenge includes two pizza pan sized pancakes topped with two eggs, three bacon, three sausage links, and a big heaping of home fries, all topped with their homemade sausage gravy. If you can eat the whole thing you will get it free, and, you will have your photo posted on the wall. During their time in FL there were 350 challenge attempts and only eight winners! More fun still…Betsy also called the restaurant “Toyland” for John while he proceeded to try on and demonstrate different mechanically operated hats that he wears for holidays, like Easter and Christmas, in the restaurant. “Food and fun” is definitely a consistent theme for this diner!
But, there is a more serious side to Jackie’s too. The owners have a special place in their hearts for people in public service fields. The name of the diner came from John’s dad, also John, but nicknamed “Jackie” while growing up in the Bronx. He was in public service with the CIA for over 30 years. John is a retired Sergeant from the Sarasota Sheriff Department, and their son John has been serving in the Army in Iraq. There is a whole wall dedicated to photos, badges, and other public service memorabilia, with more to come. They like to honor their deserving public service customers with specials such as free coffee and pancakes for active and retired military on Veteran’s Day.
Come and see this friendly 50’s style old fashioned diner at the Chamber of Commerce Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Celebration at Jackie’s on Wednesday, September 29 from 12:00 to 1:00pm. Then beginning October 1, they will be open every Monday through Saturday from 7:00am to 3:00pm. Jackie’s Diner is located at 507 E. Main Street.