A stop for a burger 20 years ago ended up changing Alan Bolton’s life.
On Aug. 1, Bolton celebrated 20 years as the owner of Pete’s Diner, a neighborhood staple that has been serving the community for 44 years. Bolton took over Pete’s on Aug. 1, 2006, but buying a diner was not what he had planned when he first walked through the door.
He had been invited by a client to grab a burger for lunch when he met Mr. Tasso, who owned Pete’s at the time.
“He didn’t look particularly happy to be there, so I asked him, ‘Why is it that you don’t look happy?’” Bolton recalled. Tasso told him that he had bought the coffee shop for his son, but his son had since gotten married and moved to Connecticut. He was ready to sell.
“I looked at my client and asked, ‘Is he for real?’” Bolton said.
Two weeks later, Bolton owned Pete’s.
“What started as an invitation to grab a burger completely changed my life,” Bolton said. “Twenty years later, I’m still incredibly grateful that I walked through those doors that day.”
Pete’s had already been part of the neighborhood for more than two decades when Bolton took over. Today, 44 years after it first opened, much of what has made the small diner special can still be found inside.
Customers sitting at the counter can watch their food being cooked right in front of them on the open cooktop. The walls are covered with photos of longtime customers, neighborhood regulars and familiar faces who have stopped in over the years.
“I think it comes down to the people,” Bolton said. “From the very beginning, we’ve tried to make Pete’s a place where everyone feels welcome and where customers are treated like family.”
Bolton has watched generations come through the diner. Some customers who first came into Pete’s as children now bring their own children there. That tradition continues with regulars like Tim Hayden, who brings his son to Pete’s every weekend.
“It’s a neighborhood institution,” Hayden said. “You see everyone you know there.”
For years, Pete’s was also one of the neighborhood spots that made its own donuts. As the business grew and the dining room expanded, Bolton eventually made the decision to have the donuts and pastries made by a longtime local bakery. The donuts remain part of what regular customers have come to expect from Pete’s.
“A diner is more than just a place to eat. It becomes part of the fabric of the neighborhood,” Bolton said.
For Bolton, the last 20 years have also been a family effort. He credits his wife, Vicky, and their three daughters, Sofia, Lucia and Abigail, for supporting him along the way.
As for what comes next, Bolton hopes Pete’s can continue doing what it has been doing for another 20 years.
“I want us to continue serving good food and donuts, welcoming our regulars, meeting new customers, and being a place where people feel comfortable and at home,” Bolton said.
Twenty years after Bolton walked in for a burger and 44 years after Pete’s first opened, the small diner continues to be a familiar part of the neighborhood.
For Bolton, it all goes back to that first lunch.
“Looking back, it feels like one of those moments in life that was simply meant to happen,” he said.
