MANCHESTER, NH – Sharon Rammage is living the dream – if by dream, you mean finally slinging hash instead of a sledge-hammer. She is the proud new owner, along with her husband John, of New Day Diner (most recently the Metro Diner) at 342 Cypress St.
Since purchasing the diner in February Rammage, and her right-hand woman, restaurant manager Carole Rabideau, have been up to their elbows in renovations and repairs. It’s a process they thought would take about seven weeks, but ended up taking seven months.
“I can’t say enough about L&B Construction Management,” said Rammage, who says she had a negative experience with another contractor before hiring Paul Lemire, which caused many of the setbacks in getting the diner up and running.
The diner finally opened Sept. 6 with one goal, said Rammage.
“We want this to be a destination. Our motto is good food, good friends and good times,” Rammage said. “We want it to be a family set-up, a place where everyone can enjoy a meal, and is treated like family.”
Opening a diner has been a long-term goal for Rammage, who said she and her husband started looking for the right location in 2002 as a way to ease into retirement. But finding the right fit, and securing financing, turned out to be hurdles.
They looked at a lot of spaces, including in downtown Manchester, but found rents to be too high. When the Metro Diner became available, all the planets aligned – and they set to work getting the building up to code.
The diner is open for breakfast and lunch daily, and features plenty of breakfast specials, including the Rise and Shine Special for $5.99, which gets you eggs, a side of meat, home fries or beans and coffee; the spicy Manchester Fire Department scramble for $8.59, with diced hot Italian sausage, jalapeno peppers and pepper jack cheese, and the Manchester Police Department breakfast sandwich for $5.49, made with two eggs and your choice of bacon, ham, or sausage [see full menu below.]
For right now it’s cash-only until the registers go online, but the diner is equipped with WiFi. Phone orders to-go are welcome.
In the coming weeks Rammage will incorporate daily specials, and the menu is kid-friendly – four breakfast specials, numbered 1-4, , and lunch favorites like hot dogs, mac & cheese, house-made chicken nuggets.
Rammage said they are also talking about the possibility of renting out the restaurant during off-hours to anyone who wants to have an event or party.
As for naming the diner, it’s pretty straightforward, says Rammage.
“New Day Diner was my husband’s idea. It’s a new day – for the diner and for us. This is our retirement, and we’re really excited to be open,” Rammage says.
The New Day Diner is located at 342 Cypress Street. Hours are Mon.-Fri. from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sat. 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sun., 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Order ahead by calling 603-206-5814, or stop in and linger over your morning coffee. Scroll through the full menu below. Be sure to like New Day Diner on Facebook for daily specials and news.