Business of the Week: Babs Delta Diner

Babs Curless managed her friend’s restaurant for over 10 years before realizing that she could do the same thing with an eatery that was her own.

Two decades later, Babs Delta Diner is still thriving in Suisun City.

“She goes ‘I can do this myself,’ so she went and found a hole-in-the-wall down the street and we opened Babs Diner in 1991,” said Deby Starkey, who is Babs’ daughter and the current manager of Babs.

Starkey took over management of the place 10 years ago, when her mother retired from running the business. Babs still makes cobblers, pies and visits the restaurant from time-to-time.

Starkey credits the atmosphere, good food and service as the reasons customers have been loyal for over 20 years.

“They know they’re going to get the value of their food for their dollar,” Starkey said. “They don’t get small portions. We put the same amount of food on a plate like we did 20 years ago when we first started.”

Long-time customer Ron Boyd has eaten at Babs once or twice a week for 15 years.

“It’s good food, and it’s down-home food. It just tastes good,” he said. “…she’s always done a good meal.”

Boyd once met a couple from the west side of Chicago dining at Babs.

“I asked them ‘did you guys like what you had to eat?’ And he said, ‘oh yeah, I hurt myself.’ I said I know the feeling well, I’ve done that several times,” Boyd said.

Starkey has been helping her mother run the place since it was located further up Main Street for its first four years of service. She opens the restaurant five days out of the week at 5 a.m., and her daughter opens Tuesday so Starkey can have a five-day work week. The restaurant is closed Mondays.

As for the early morning hours, Starkey said that’s just the way her mother has always done it.

“The last couple of months…the economy has been so bad, the early morning business has backed off a little bit,” she said. “We’ve stayed pretty much steady all day. The people early in the morning have to put the money in the gas tank instead of going out to eat.”

One of the the restaurant's signature dishes is its corned beef hash. It’s one of many that are Babs’ actual homemade recipes.

“It’s always been on the menu. We’ve always had it,” said Starkey of the corned beef. “ Most of the recipes are hers.  She’s taught them to the cooks and stuff and they make her recipes: the homemade chili and biscuits. She still makes the cobblers.”

Starkey sees Babs going strong for years to come, with no end in sight.

“As long as we can make ends meet and pay out employees we hope so, and people keep coming in the front door,” she said.