Bob & Edith's Diner Celebrates 50 Years Of Serving Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — Bob Bolton always told his son Greg the reason he started Bob & Edith's Diner was because he wanted to put his wife Edith's name up in lights. So when he saw Gray's Donut Dinette was for sale back in 1969, he knew he could do just that and make some money selling donuts.

"He had a good opportunity to get the place for 800 bucks and he put her name up in neon," said Greg Bolton, the current owner of the family-run restaurant. "It was always a good business. He ran it well. Good quality food, personal service, it grew through the years."

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the landmark Arlington eatery started out on Columbia Pike and has since expanded to four other locations in the region — Crystal City, Springfield, Huntington, and the newest one on Lee Highway.

"When we opened up Springfield, Crystal City fell into my lap," Greg Bolton said. "Huntington was a great find and so on. It's been a great opportunity."

All of his life, Bob Bolton worked in diners, just like Bob and Edith's, all across the country.

"He would know the customer before they even sit down," said Chris Bolton, Greg's son. "And when they were done eating, they'd have to stand up and stand around the window. And, honestly, his reputation grew. He had a lot of good fans for being a Cowboy's fan."

People would sit at the counter and order the Country Man Special or homemade sausage gravy off of the menu that was posted on the wall for all to see.

One of the restaurant's recipes for success has been its comforting sense of timelessness, which has prompted generations of Arlington diners to return again and again.

"As far as what's changed, it's not a whole lot, just time," Greg Bolton said. "We serve the same food, the same bacon we served 45 years ago. We don't change much, unless we make it better."

Chris Bolton recalled seeing a newspaper article from the 1970s with a photo of his grandfather.

"It looked like I could have been working there yesterday, but it was my grandpa in the '70s, like '72," he said. "It was crazy, because it was the same. You could see the bread and the picture of the Cowboy's cheerleaders in the backdrop. That's all still there. It's still the same thing, the same grits, the same eggs and bacon, the toast."

Back when Bob Bolton was running the original restaurant, only family members worked there.

"When it was sold to my father, my dad had worked here for 30-some years," Chris Bolton said. "Me and my sister grew up in it. His brothers worked here. There's been a lot of hard work and love that's been put into this business and a lot of sacrifice. And honestly, it's evolved and the product got better as the service got better."

Chris' sister Tammy has been involved in all aspects of the business, and her husband Alex Guzman works there as well.

"She's amazing," Chris Bolton said. "She's worked as a cook for many years. She's worked as a manager, she's done it all. And now we have general managers, running each store. We have district managers overseeing them."

With five restaurants to run, Bob & Edith's employs a lot of people in order to staff each location for 24-hours a day.

When the coronavirus pandemic forced the diner to close its doors temporarily earlier this year, the company had to lay-off 130-140 people.

Eventually, they were able to reopen for delivery and takeout, and bring back some of their employees. But, after one of the managers contracted COVID-19, all five locations had to be closed for two weeks to allow for a deep cleaning and quarantine.

Now, all five Bob & Edith's locations have reopened and are following state-mandated guidelines for social distancing and deep-cleaning, which means they're operating at about 50 percent capacity. In addition, two of the restaurants, Columbia Pike and Huntington, are open 24-hours a day, Thursday through Sunday.

To celebrate the Bob & Edith's 50th anniversary, the restaurant is offering a 1969 special throughout the end of the year.

"You get two Bob and Edith burgers, they're called 'B&E burgers,' the double-bacon cheeseburger with a fried egg, fresh cracked egg, any way you want it," Chris Bolton said. "Lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, onions, and it comes with fries and a two pieces the pie for $19.69, which is great value."