The Golden Reef Diner in Rockville Centre, Long Island, NY has been operating at the same location, with various names and different owners for a century but current owner Jimmy Trahanas said his motto to keep people coming is “food made to order.”
“Everything is fresh, never frozen, no matter what you order,” says Trahanas. “Even the baked goods are all homemade. Everything is made on premises, including the bread,” Trahanas, who came to the United States at 16 and started as a busboy who didn’t speak English, told the Long Island Press.
That experience helped him learn every position in running a diner, a tradition among the Greek immigrants who became famous among their clientele for that, and mixing American with Greek dishes on the menu.
He took over the restaurant in 1983 and renovated it and has his family working there, including brother-in-law Jimmy overseeing cooks.
“This is the American kitchen,” said Trahanas. “You can get anything you want. I have people here twice per day…everything we sell is homemade and good.” Order!