NASHUA – With an updated menu, a new yet timeless look, and an addition to ownership, employees at Joanne’s Kitchen are ready to fire up the stoves and get back to doing what they do best – serving food to hungry customers.

Nine months after an electrical fire put the restaurant out of commission in July, old and new faces are gearing up for the Saturday reopening of the eatery on Nashua’s Main Street.

“We’re excited. We’re looking forward to seeing new people, as well as our old customers,” Ron Cote, the owner of 38 years, said. “We’re seeing everyday customers stopping in saying, ‘Hi, we’re glad you’re back. We’ll see you on your opening day.'”

Cote said some of his employees have spent more than 30 years at the downtown diner, while others will be working for the first time on Saturday. He said everyone is eager to put smiles on the faces of customers.

“We’re very excited,” Cote said. “We’re full staffed — a few newcomers and some that have been here since the fossil days.”

Cote’s new partner in ownership is Whitney Swain, who started as a dishwasher and has worked at Joanne’s since he was 14 years old. While he is excited for the re-opening to bring in new customers, Swain said he is looking forward to seeing the regulars who have become a regular part of his life.

“It’s very exciting. I’ve been with Joanne’s and Ron for many years,” Swain said. “So, I’m really excited to see many of the old guests I’ve seen for many years that I’ve grown up with.”

“I’m going to be here for at least another 40 years,” Swain added, expressing his desire to continue what has become a staple of downtown Nashua.

Upon their re-opening, Joanne’s will offer a new and updated menu – with new varieties and an added lunch section. With additions to the menu, the owners said the restaurant will be open longer through the week. Hours are set for 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 6 a.m. to noon on weekends. The menu will also include $5 daily specials.

Swain and Cote said everything used to remodel the interior of the restaurant is authentic diner material, from the counter to the tiles, all the way through the booths and bar stools. While the interior looks fresh and new, owners said the use of these materials helps keep the diner’s atmosphere genuine for the customer.

“It’s the same look as a diner, but we updated it. It’s all new inside,” Cote said.

Cote and Swain joked that during the repair work, they even decided to level the booths, which are original diner booths from 1927. This eliminated what had become an ongoing joke.

“We’ve even leveled the booths,” Cote said with a laugh. “The booths were all unlevel. Everybody commented on it, jokingly, and now they’re level.”

Cote said after 38 years of ownership, he couldn’t let an establishment he had put so much in to go down due to the fire. Though the process of re-opening took much longer than Cote or Swain expected, the frustration and hard work paid off for them.

“It really was a long drawn-out process. It’s like building a new place, but worse, but it turned out good,” Cote said.

With all the work done, Cote and Swain said the diner and staff members are ready to get back to serving the community.

“Just come on in. I think you’ll be happy with what you’ll see,” Cote added.

Mathew Plamondon may be reached at 594-1244, or at mplamondon@nashuatelegraph.com.

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