It's Your Business: Bradley Diner

Rise and shine!  It’s breakfast time.  Today Meriden Patch is serving up a special look at Bradley Diner, a staple of Meriden since the 1940s.  Long-time residents say the diner on West Main Street opened in 1946, and was owned by two brothers and their friend.  The current building still has the same tin ceiling, walls, and windows.  Over the years, the diner has changed hands a few times.  The current owner is Allison Romano, who bought the business from Mark Hartman almost three years ago.

Romano started going to the diner when she moved to Meriden in 1998.  A few years later, she was working there on weekends.  “One day, just joking, I said to Mark, ‘If you ever want to sell, let me know,’” she recalls.

Well, the rest is history and Romano is now running the establishment.  “It has been a journey to say the least.  Never owning my own business, I was shaking in my boots,” she says.

Along with a jovial and jolly owner, what else can you get at Bradley Diner?  For starters, a great breakfast and lunch.  Here’s a small sample of the menu: red raspberry pancakes, chocolate hazelnut French toast, steamed cheeseburgers, meatloaf, and lobster rolls.  If you’re really hungry, you can order a three-plus egg omelet, along with a side of homemade sausage. 

“If my customers ask me for something I don’t carry, I try to get it for them,” says Romano.  “People have been asking for turkey sausage and turkey bacon, so now I carry both items.” 

She and her chef, Jeff, also make all of their soups from scratch.  Favorites include stuffed pepper, hamburger, and chowder.  She adds with a smile, “If you want canned soup, you can do that at home.” 

In a town with several diners, we asked Romano what keeps Bradley Diner up and running after 65 years.

“I believe with me it’s because I’m honest, I keep a clean diner, and I give really good food for a fair price.” Romano also says many of her loyal customers have become like family to her. 

“I met a woman named Donna Cerreta- we hit it off great,” she reflects.  “We really were like peas in a pod, like sisters instead of friends.  This past December she passed away and she took a piece of me with her.  I miss her every day.”

Running a diner means early and long hours.  Romano is quick to note that she doesn’t do it alone.  Her husband Dennis and their 10-year-old son, Wade, also help out to make sure things run smoothly.  As a reminder of how much family means to her, she named an omelet after her son.

When Romano isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her family and pets which include three cats, two dogs, and a parrot.