Table Hoppin

Longtime chef back in game with Yankee Diner in Charlton

Yankee Diner owner Michael Niemskyk, left, with server Holly Robbins and chef Josh Letendre.

ASHLEY GREEN

BARBARA M. HOULE

Michael Niemszyk doesn’t need a beginners’ checklist to opening a restaurant. He purchased his first business when he was 19 and kept opening more places until he decided to retire as a restaurateur.

The chef’s fans will be happy to learn that he’s back in the game, celebrating this Thanksgiving holiday as the proud owner of the newly renovated Yankee Diner in Charlton.

Niemszyk, who’s in his late 60s, retired for only a short time before deciding to lease the Yankee Diner in 2019 from property owner Steven Greene of Shrewsbury.

“I’ve owned more than 10 restaurants but never a diner,” said Niemzyk. “Owning one has always been in the back of my mind.” He came out of retirement after only three months.

He has been chef/owner of fullservice restaurants all his life, he said, and running a diner fits more into his current lifestyle. He gets out early, no more late nights.

The diner was gutted for renovation, according to Niemszyk, who’s “grateful for all the support” he has received from Greene. “Steven is a great person to work with,” said Niemszyk, who personally helped with the renovations, including the diner’s interior and kitchen. “Everything is new,” he said.

The business opened last February, operating a few weeks before it had to close as a result of COVID-19, reopening late this summer. Niemszyk said people often ask him about operating amid a pandemic. “I had signed the lease before any of this happened, and I wasn’t turning back,” he said. “Some say I’m an ‘eternal optimist.’ I don’t know about that.”

Former owner of a 500-seat restaurant in Hudson, Niemszyk also once owned and operated the Whistle Stop in Oxford and restaurants in Marlboro and Webster, the town where he resides.

The Yankee Diner located at 16 Worcester Road (Route 20) has been a Charlton landmark since the late 1950s. Manufactured by the Worcester Lunch Car Co., it reportedly operated in Southbridge before its relocation to Charlton.

The diner currently opens at 7 a.m. daily. Breakfast hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays. Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. Dinner is from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

The diner’s specialties include “Fish Fry” (cup of homemade chowder included) from noon to 8 p.m. Fridays; Prime Rib, noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays. FYI: Petite or large cut prime rib includes baked potato and garlic green beans.

The business has a new outdoor patio, in addition to picnic tables on both sides of the diner. Customers use a side window for pick-up service. Indoor seating is in accordance with state COVID-19 regulations and guidance.

Cash only with ATM inside. Telephone (508) 434-0358; connect on Facebook; Google Yankee Diner 2020, or newly renovated Yankee Diner. Niemszyk explained how people sometimes think the diner is closed as a result of internet stories relating to closure by previous owners.

Daily specials are posted on Facebook. The full menu includes Yankee Breakfast Classics, eggs Benedict, pancakes Texas- style French toast, breakfast sandwiches. Lunch includes salads, soups, deli subs, burgers and hot dogs, sides and comfort meals (American chop suey, Shepherd’s Pie, Swedish meatballs, Yankee Pot Roast, Beef Stroganoff, etc.), all made in house. Corned beef hash and prime rib hash are among popular sides, according to waitress Holly Robbins, who said Yankee customers also love the owner’s clam chowder and soups, with chicken, Portuguese kale and veggie among the favorites. “The diner’s known for the best prime rib around,” added Robbins. “And, hearty homemade food,” added Niemszyk. New hires are experienced, according to the owner, especially John Pacheco, whom he has known for 30 years, and George Letendre, chefs who work the line with him.

How’s Niemszyk spending Thanksgiving?

He said he usually celebrates the holiday in Aruba, but this year it’s different.

“It looks like we’re going to be chilling out at home,” said Niemszyk. “Next day it’s back to work.”

Sweet news from Katzie GuyHamilton

Congratulations to Worcester native Katzie Guy-Hamilton, who has co-founded Cassata Bakery, a luxury gift box company, with friend and former colleague Rachel Graper.

Guy-Hamilton wrote in an email, “As the former Chef and Head of Marketing of the chocolate company Max Brenner, we have a love of sweets. We wanted to come up with a way to help people keep their gift-giving traditions alive — with top quality baked goods — shipped directly to the gift recipient with the click of a button.”

Guy-Hamilton is author of “Clean Enough: Get Back to Basics and Leave Room for Dessert” (The Experiment, 2019) and award-winning pastry chef. She was profiled in Worcester Living magazine in 2019. (Sarah Connell Sanders talks to Guy-Hamilton about the new venture in this week’s column.)

If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.