Morin's Celebrates 100 Years in Business Generations of Morins made the diner an Attleboro landmark. By Melissa Riley | January 13, 2011
Bill Morin and his son John Attleboro residents sometimes cite the debut of Emerald Square Mall in 1989 as a major reason countless downtown businesses closed their doors. Large, busy stores like London’s, Sillman’s and Winthrop’s have become nothing more than downtown memories. In an unpredictable up and down economy with big-box stores lining up all around us, what does it take for a small, locally-owned business to prosper? Bill Morin, owner and operator of Morin's shares his story on how his diner beat the odds and expanded from a 12-stool diner to a 250 -seat restaurant. “We’ve taken hits over the years, certainly when the Balfour, Shields and Swank factories left the downtown area, but good prices, quality food, good portions and our decent reputation have kept us in business,” Morin said. A Century Old This year Morin’s Diner aka Morin’s Hometown Bar and Grille celebrates its 100th year of serving up New England comfort food to Attleboro. Through those years the family business has been operated by four generations of the Morin family starting with Jean Baptiste Morin the founder of the diner. Jean Baptiste Morin, born in Vermont, migrated to Attleboro and opened the Franklin Cafe on Mill Street in 1911 with his brother-in-law Gene Hamel. Regretfully for Bill Morin, over the years much of its history including the origin of the diner’s name has been lost. “I’ve often wondered why it was named Franklin. I don’t know,” said the third-generation owner.
Prior to diners, horse drawn lunch wagons circulated Attleboro’s factory-lined streets selling lunch to the hundreds of workers. Although the long, narrow design enabled them to be pulled around the streets of the city, the Franklin Cafe was stationary, installed on a foundation. Its design was typical of most diners of the time, having a long counter space with 12 stools. There were no kitchens in the diners, but there were stove-tops and skillets, according to Morin. Old Mrs. Morin "Old Mrs. Morin, my grandmother, Emma, used to make all of the food at her School Street home," Morin said. "Her kids, including my father, would then wheel hot pots filled with food over to the diner in a red wagon. She was a tremendous pie maker and pie slices were sold at 5 cents a slice!” Morin remembered. “We are still serving French meat pie made with her recipe.” Even if the diner had a kitchen, Emma Morin would still have had to do her cooking and baking at home since women were not allowed in diners during that time period. Diners were for men only. “It must have been sometime prior to World War II that women were allowed in,” said Morin. During the 1920’s, Morin’s father, Russell Morin bought out his Franklin Cafe partner. Later, in 1932, as business boomed, he purchased an existing diner at Morin’s present location on South Main Street from Franklin McKay. He renamed it Morin’s Diner. One of his most momentous diner decisions was made in or around 1947, according to Morin. "Meeting at the corner of Park and South Main Streets, my father, Izzy from Barney’s Diner and Huck from Huck’s Diner decided to raise the price of a cup of coffee from five cents to ten cents! It was a very big deal! If these guys were here today they wouldn’t believe the price of coffee.” Customer service at any price "Before paper coffee cups, in the 30’s, some factory workers came in to the diner with empty whiskey bottles," he said. "We filled their bottles with ‘coffee to go!’” The Franklin Cafe also had its own version of fast food. To the right of the Franklin Cafe there was a huge factory, Hobby Clapp. When workers on the third floor broke for lunch, they would lower a rope-tied basket with their lunch orders enclosed and drop it down to the diner. "The orders were filled and then the basket was hoisted back up with their lunch!” Morin said. The 1970s was a busy time for the 25 or so diners in downtown Attleboro that served thousands of factory workers. During that time breakfast and lunch kept the diners busy. "We would go through 30 dozen eggs before 7 a.m.," Morin said. “Factory workers had an hour for lunch and we were packed with a long line out the door.
"It was quite the feat to feed them all within an hour’s time." A family business Bill's brother, Russell "Russ" Morin operated a catering business from the diner until 1983, but moved the operation to Frank Mossberg Drive. Together, the brothers have done a great deal of industrial catering. Both in the armed forces, Bill was a cook in Korea, while Russ cooked in Fort Mead. Times have changed and fourth generation, John Morin has joined the restaurant business. “I was a history major in college, but when I finished my degree I came back to the diner to work," said John Morin. "I stuck around and ended up liking it more than I thought I would." Brothers Tom and Rick have also worked in the diner off and on for many years. Both are ready to pitch in and help, according to John. "But, I am the one, here to stay, learning the many aspects of the business.” Certainly, none of the three generations before John would ever have imagined that Morin’s would be featured on national television. Guy Fieri highlighted Morin’s Diner on his show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Normally reserved, a quiet Bill Morin held his own with the vivacious Fieri. He demonstrated and divulged secrets of Grandmother Emma’s French meat pie, his salsa flavored fish stew and a scrumptious boiled corned beef and cabbage dinner. Changing with the times Like any other business, running the diner can be difficult. “It’s a challenge working seven days a week," John Morin said. "On the other hand, it’s a family tradition. I’m a big history guy so I like seeing how my father and grandfather did things. “The best part of my job is working with my father. It’s great!” “We have been able to stay in business so long because we are willing to change to keep up with the times. My brother Tom and I came up with the idea of incorporating a bar with the diner. Morin’s had a small bar prior to this but we needed to stay current and there was a market for an expanded bar. We envisioned a spot where people could meet after work or join their friends to watch a game on our wide screen televisions.” Early diners did not typically serve beer. Bill Morin explained there was a superstition that bad luck would follow any diner man who served booze. “The bar is extremely successful but Morin’s is still a family diner. It is not a full-blown sports’ bar instead it’s a comfortable, quiet spot,” John Morin said.
The Regulars Diane Mangiaratti and her husband Bob eat at Morin's about three times a month. Diane commented, “I consider Morin’s to be my extended kitchen. When we don’t know what to cook or are too tired to cook, we come to Morin’s.” "The same people come in regularly, everyday or every week,” Ann Lorincz Swain, said. Swain grew up with the three Morin brothers and has worked alongside them for nearly 15 years. “I love it because it’s family," she said. "You see it in the wait staff, the cooks and even in the people in the dish room. Sometimes people leave for other job opportunities, but quite often they come back.” “Billy knows everyone, he knows their families and their stories," Swain added. "People just love that about Morin’s." For 100 years fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins have pitched in at Morin’s. Perhaps the diner’s longevity is due to this family's commitment. Or is it customer loyalty? “Throughout the years our goal has been the same," Morin said. "We provide good prices, quality food and good portions. That’s what keeps us in business.”