DINER , from P . 28 you take it off , there ’ s 10 people that day : ‘ Can I have that ?’ And you think , why did we take it off the menu ?” he said .
The selections on the menu , he said , are a big part of why people frequent diners .
“ You can go other places and say , ‘ I wish they had eggs ; I wish they had this ; I wish they had that .’ We have a variety of stuff , and we change things . We try to keep up with the times ,” Chris Tzaferos said .
Some customers , Chris Tzaferos said , like visiting diners because of the option of sitting at the counter .
“ I think they feel like they ’ re almost a part of it . They feel like they ’ re close to the action , close to the waitresses moving and grabbing stuff ,” he said .
George Tzaferos said that the service at the counter is often faster , as well .
“ You sit at the counter , and someone behind the counter is there right away . It ’ s a lot easier to strike a conversation with another person , too ,” he said .
Chris Tzaferos said that the counter has a culture of its own , which has evolved over the years .
“ It started with a lot of older gentlemen who would come in the morning , and sit there and drink . All their friends would come in , and they ’ d talk , get all the information of the week and then sit . By the time it was nighttime , it was all kids who would come and hang out at the counter . There used to be a lot of kids who cost us a lot of money in coffee . They ’ d pay for one cup of coffee and stay for 20 ,” he said .
Regardless of the customers — or where they sit — Chris Tzaferos said that their satisfaction is a top priority .
“ Over the years , we ’ ve tried to have the best service , the best food . We only buy quality food . We buy the best food you can get to give to the people , and we appreciate our customers ,” he said .
As varied as are the menu selections , the waitresses and all the other reasons for visiting a diner , Chris Tzaferos said , the patrons are almost as varied .
“ You have loud . You have quiet . You have people at the counter who don ’ t say anything to anybody . You have rich people . You have poor people . They sit next to each other , and they have no clue who has what . You could have a farmer at the counter who ’ s a multi-millionaire sitting next to somebody who has nothing , and you could never tell the difference ,” he said .
THE HAMMONTONIAN | FEBRUARY 2023 | P . 25
Something for everyone at the Silver Coin Diner
KAILIE MURRAY ( LEFT ) ENJOYED A MONTE CRISTO WHILE IAN MURRAY ENJOYED AN OMELETTE FOR DINNER AT THE SILVER COIN .
Regardless of their backgrounds , they have no clue what they have — the customers at the Siler Coin Diner and everybody gets along , and everybody talks . That ’ s the culture . The talk with one another , he said . “ They talk , always . That ’ s what culture of the diner is that it ’ s a melting pot of people . Everybody can makes Hammonton special : people who have a lot of money are similar come in , and everybody ’ s welcome ,” to somebody who has nothing , and Chris Tzaferos said .
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