Monday, March 18, 2024

59er Diner mobile restaurant open, ready for business at Coles Corner

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It has been over a year since the iconic 59er Diner at Coles Corner burned down. Owner Joe Cannata was hoping to have a new restaurant built by this time, but it’s not happening. Realizing he was about to miss another valuable summer season, Cannata had to act quickly. 

He found a trailer to operate out of until the diner is built. 

“It was something to get us through interim, because my contractor told me I’d have a diner built by June 1. At the beginning May, I started realizing this guy is not telling me everything. I knew I could not get a diner here this quick,” Cannata said. “I had about 30 days to get it together. We went and bought a used trailer. We took everything out of it and cleaned it up. Then, we got Gibbs Graphics to put a call Flo design on the outside of it. We’re just starting with a really limited menu so we can be good every single time.”

The 59er Diner trailer serves burgers, chicken burgers, veggie burgers, milkshakes and a few more items. There is seating in the garden area right next to the trailer. Cannata said he has ordered a tent. 

“We’re going to have a huge wedding style tent, so that we can control the atmosphere a little bit,” Cannata said. “At Lake Wenatchee, we get bees or flies or mosquitos, wind, too hot, too cold. If we get the tent, we can keep some of it at bay. It’s still life in the mountains, but this way you can at least drive up and count on some place to sit that is comfortable.”

So far, the response has been great, he said. KING-5 TV, which covered the fire last year, came back and did a story on the trailer. Cannata, who also owns the 59er Diner in Cashmere, has been running the trailer himself. The thing he didn’t realize was how great it would be to be back in the restaurant, working, saying hi to people. 

“It’s good for soul to be there, talking to people. I feel so much better having worked day at the diner at Coles Corner. After a couple days work, I said, wow, this feels really good,” Cannata said. “I did not set out to own two restaurants and run ice to them, if they are out of ice or help train an employee one day then do paperwork the next day to allow you to put the correct kitchen design together. All that stuff I do on a daily basis, because if I want to be a cook in a restaurant, I’ve got to own it and make a living doing it.”

For so long, Cannata said he has been doing that and not what he truly loves, cooking and waiting on people. He said when he gets back to doing that, touching people on a daily basis, it just feels good. 

So what is the status of building a new restaurant? Cannata said everyone asks him that. It’s been a headache.

“My original plan, I found a company that makes old stainless style diners. They are pretty good at doing it. They’ve made hundreds over the years. I’ve travelled the country to see these diners,” Cannata said. “They were built well. I’ve been to their factory. Everything looked good. I decided to go with them rather than wait a year-and-a-half for a stick-built building.”

There is an advantage to having a locally constructed building, he said, because you are dealing with local people and local contractors. While it would be nice, timing wise, Cannata said he did not want to miss another summer. 

“Those were some of my reasons for going with a modular building, built in a factory down in Oregon. They were going to ship it up to me in parts. That was supposed to arrive in May. It got delayed and delayed and delayed,” he said. “Even though I was promised it would be delivered in mid-May, it still does not have its permits out of the state. After that, it goes to county. I’ve already talked to county about it. They are ready. Because it was a fire, they’re allowed to push me to the top.”

Once it is approved, it will take 2.5 months to build, according to Dynamite Diners of Atlanta, Georgia. The plan was to build a 2,000 square foot diner for $700,000. Cannata added 500 square feet to the downstairs, expecting this to increase the cost by $50,000. Much to his surprise, this raised the cost by $400,000. 

“The problem is I can’t discuss this further with them because my contract says, when you’re done writing the plans and the plans are completely approved by the state, then I own the plans. If I want to take those plans and build somewhere else, I can do that,” he said. “At this point, I don’t want to discuss this $400,000 they jacked up the price on me. So now I’m waiting for those plans. I want those to be in my hand, then I can go back and negotiate the price with them.”

Cannata said they are five months late, not because of the permitting, but because he received the plans four months late. He signed a contract Jan. 1, expecting to be done March 1. 

“They’re weren’t even turned in until well into May. Now, I don’t trust them. They made some little mistakes that were correctible, but these were not mistakes they should make if they are experienced,” Cannata said. “That made me worry. Now, them jerking me around with the price. Now, I have all kinds of questions.”

When asked if he could just scrap the modular build and go with a local contractor?

“You could, but then you are a year-and-a-half out for a local build. Now, you miss another summer. It’s not simple stick-built construction. It’s built in a factory. Where do you go from there?,” he said. “Really, this whole thing of waiting for one thing before I can take action on the next thing. All of that is just exhausting. It’s mind twisting. Same time, I’m dealing with the insurance company on a bunch of things.”

Most of the insurance stuff is done, he said. They are covering what they are going to cover. Then, it’s just more of the paperwork he doesn’t like anyway. 

“That is why it is so nice just to go to work, work hard, talk to the people, cook burgers and serve shakes. That’s what I love to do. To do that is a good day on any day,” Cannata said. 

Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.

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