Apollo Beach Diner has served customers for over 30 years: 'You feel like you're part of the family'

Apollo Beach brings good meals and conversation

Mark Wilson reports

APOLLO BEACH, Fla. - For more than 30 years, Apollo Beach Diner has been a place where friends meet to have a good meal and good conversation.

This eatery has been dishing out more than just good food. It's been serving compassion too.

Jeff Conover and his wife Melissa have owned it for just over five years, continuing that heartfelt tradition.

"A lot of these people are small businesses that are around here," said Conover. "They eat breakfast with us, lunch with us. We'll have dinner with them out and about at another location. It's just that we've just all become friends and family."

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For the past three years, Les Parker and his friend Steve Rimes have been loving every bite.

"Good country breakfast. You can sit here and relax and talk," said Rimes. "It's almost like we rent the booth we're here so long, but they don't run you off, yeah it's good."

"The breakfast here is outstanding," said Parker. "The biscuits and gravy are about as good as you can get."

John Evon and his wife, Judy, have been coming for seven years. They say it feels just like a family gathering.

"You feel like you're part of the family," said Evon. "They treat you that way. You feel comfortable. You get your food and everything else on time, fast and reasonable."

Jeff and Melissa are proud of the warm, welcoming atmosphere that they've created.

"This is definitely a family coming together," said Conover. "There are kids that come in here on the weekends. We get packed with youth football teams, basketball teams, baseball teams during the week. There's some elderly folks that come in."

The menu is filled with comfort food, offering everything from pancakes to hamburgers.

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"One of our most popular items are our skillets," said Conover. "You can get those in a variety, or you can make your own, whatever type of toppings you want in those skillets with eggs on top, home fries on the bottom."

It's a winning recipe customers can't get enough of.

"It's good customer service, great food, and just an environment where people are all friendly and like each other," said Conover. "That's pretty much the three basic keys to a successful restaurant."

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