♪♪ >> ROB, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT HAMBURGER INN.

>> OF COURSE.

>> DIVE IN AND TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT OF THE HISTORY FIRST.

I SAW ON ONE OF THE WEBSITES THAT SAID OUR HISTORY MAKES US PROUD.

LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE HAMBURGER INN.

>> WELL, THE HISTORY JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, I HAVE RECENTLY TAKE OVER HERE, BUT THE HISTORY RUNS DEEP, ALL THE WAY BACK TO 1932 IS WHEN IT BECAME A CONTINUOUS RESTAURANT.

BEFORE THEN IT WAS A RESTAURANT CALLED THE SENATE THAT OFFERED 25 CENT MEALS.

AT THAT BEGINNING STAGE IT STARTED TO BECOME A STAPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.

IT WAS ABOUT 1918, THEY STARTED A COUPLE STORES WHERE THERE'S TUNNELS IN THE BASEMENT, THERE WERE THREE TUNNELS THAT LED FROM ONE AND THAT WAS TO HELP THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FOR PEOPLE COMING UP TO FREE THEM AND MOVE THEM SAFELY AT NIGHT.

AT THE VERY BEGINNING THIS BUILDING WAS A LITTLE NARROW, THEY JUST HAD ONE COUNTER WHERE THERE WAS 12 SEATS.

THE STORY WAS AS YOU CAME IN YOU WOULD SIT AND WAIT FOR THE LAST SEAT AND THEN AS SOMEONE LEFT, EVERYBODY WOULD PICK THEIR PLATE UP AND MOVE IT DOWN.

>> YEAH.

YEAH.

>> AND THEY HAD TO ROTATE TO ALLOW THE NEW CUSTOMER TO COME IN.

>> OKAY.

>> IT WAS KIND OF LIKE AN ASSEMBLY MOVING LINE.

>> YEAH.

>> YOU DON'T SEE THAT ANY MORE.

>> YOU DON'T.

>> YOU DON'T SEE THAT ANYWHERE.

BEING A NEW OWNER TO THE HAMBURGER INN I WAS ADVISED A COUPLE THINGS.

NUMBER ONE, I CANNOT TOUCH OR REPLACE THIS COUNTERTOP.

IF THIS COUNTERTOP CAN TELL STORIES, WE WOULD BE ALL SITTING HERE FOR QUITE A LONG TIME.

THE SECOND THING EVERYBODY LIKES IS THE STOOLS.

THE STOOLS THAT STILL HAVE THAT DINER FEEL THAT PEOPLE REALLY GRASP ON TO.

>> WHEN YOU COME IN HERE, YOU GO TO MAKE FRIENDS BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO SIT CLOSE AND TIGHT IN HERE.

>> YES.

>> WHAT MAKES THIS PLACE TICK?

WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT THE HAMBURGER INN?

THERE'S ALL KINDS OF RESTAURANT AROUND, BUT WHAT MAKES THIS PLACE SPECIAL.

>> >> THE HISTORY OF THE HAMBURGER INN IS SOMEPLACE WHERE EVEN TODAY THEY REMEMBER COMING IN WHEN THEY WERE A KID, THEY REMEMBER COMING IN WITH THEIR GRANDPARENTS, THEY REMEMBER EVEN WHEN THEY COULD BARELY EVEN READ OR WRITE THAT THEY SOMEHOW REMEMBER THIS COUNTERTOP.

IT WAS A GOOD MEETING PLACE BACK THEN.

SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENED WHERE THEY STARTED A COFFEE CLUB HERE AT THE HAMBURGER INN.

ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS, HE'S 89 YEARS OLD AND HE STILL COMES IN EVERY MORNING FOR COFFEE.

WHAT THE COFFEE CLUB DOES IS THEY COME IN, THEY DON'T PAY FOR THEIR COFFEE EVERY DAY, THEY PAY FOR IT ONCE A WEEK, AND KIND OF CHAT ABOUT THE DAY'S NEWS AND THEN ONCE A YEAR THEY COME TOGETHER AND BRING TOGETHER A COLLECTION AND THEY GIVE ALL THE SERVERS A NICE LITTLE TIP THAT'S, YOU KNOW, QUITE LARGE IN ORDER TO HELP THEM OUT THROUGH CHRISTMASTIME.

>> SURE.

>> THEY'VE BEEN COMING HERE FOR OVER 70 YEARS.

WE STILL HAVE ABOUT 10 TO 15 PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP EVERY MORNING, EVEN THOUGH WE OPEN AT 7:00 THEY ARE HERE AT 6:30, BUT THEY'RE READY FOR COFFEE AND MOST OF THEM ARE RETIRED AND STILL JUST LIKE COMING IN.

I THINK THE CAMARADERIE OF SEEING PEOPLE YOU GO TO SCHOOL WITH, PEOPLE YOU GO TO CHURCH WITH, I THINK COMING IN AND SITTING DOWN, PEOPLE FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE SITTING CLOSE TO EACH OTHER.

I THINK JUST THE LEGACY OF THE FAMILY STORIES IS WHAT REALLY MAKES THIS PLACE SPECIAL BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO MET IN COLLEGE AT OWU, PEOPLE WHO MET AT CHURCH, THEY SOMETIMES SPLIT WAYS, BUT THE HAMBURGER INN BRINGS THEM BACK WHEN THEY COME BACK TO VISIT DELAWARE.

>> WHAT MADE YOU TAKE ON THIS ENDEAVOR?

WHAT MADE YOU COME IN AND TAKE ON THE HAMBURGER INN?

>> I GOT INTO IT BECAUSE I LOVE THE PASSION OF TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE.

I LOVE TO FEED PEOPLE.

ALTHOUGH THE MENU IS THE SAME, I HAVE MY OWN LITTLE SECRETS THAT I TRY TO DO TO IMPRESS PEOPLE, TO INVITE THEM BACK.

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ENAMORED WITH DINERS, I'VE ALWAYS ON VACATIONS YOU LIKE TO FIND THAT GREASY SPOON, THAT ONE WHERE THAT ONE GUY IS WORKING HIS BUTT OFF ON THE FLAT TOP TO FEED EVERYBODY.

THE FACT THAT WE DO ALL OF OUR OWN BAKING, I THINK, IS TREMENDOUS.

>> WE CAME IN THIS MORNING WE WERE GREETED WITH ONE OF THESE CINNAMON ROLLS.

>> YES.

>> MAN, I HAVE NEVER HAD A CINNAMON ROLL LIKE THAT.

HOW DOES THAT FIT INTO -- THIS PLACE DOES HAMBURGERS, A CINNAMON ROLL IS NOT SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE THINK OF.

HOW DID YOU INCORPORATE A CINNAMON ROLL?

>> I THINK THEY DID ORIGINALLY BECAUSE THEY REALLY GOT INTO -- NOT ONLY WAS THIS PLACE A RESTAURANT BUT IT WAS ALSO CONSIDERED A BAKERY SO THEY DID PIES AND CAKES AND THE CINNAMON ROLLS AND THEY WOULD HAVE GRAVIES FOR SALE.

I THINK THAT IT INCORPORATED THE CINNAMON ROLL BECAUSE I CAN'T TELL YOU THE SECRET.

>> OKAY.

>> BUT THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT IT THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN EVERYBODY ELSE'S.

AND WHAT THAT DOES IS IT PUTS THAT TASTE IN YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU DON'T FORGET AND IT DRIVES YOU TO COME BACK.

>> YEAH.

YEAH.

I'VE HEARD THAT YOU HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN HISTORY HERE, A SPECIAL DISTINCTION ABOUT THIS RESTAURANT.

>> WE DO.

WE DO.

FROM WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD, FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND THAT LONG, WE VERY MUCH COULD BE THE OLDEST DINER IN OHIO.

IF ANYBODY HAS EVIDENCE TO THAT, I WOULD DEFINITELY LOVE TO SEE IT.

>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE TEN YEARS DOWN THE LINE?

DO YOU SEE YOURSELF HERE?

DO YOU SEE IT STILL THE SAME WAY?

>> I DEFINITELY SEE MYSELF HERE.

I DEFINITELY SEE US REACHING OUT AND BEING JUST AS LARGE AS BEFORE, INVOLVED WITH THE COMMUNITY, INVOLVED WITH THE PUBLIC.

I HAVE A COUPLE NEAT IDEAS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING INVOLVED WITH NEXT YEAR, THINGS THAT HOPEFULLY JUST MIMICS WHAT THE REPUTATION OF THIS DINER HAS BEEN TO THE LOCALS.

>> I DON'T PLAN ON CHANGING ♪♪ ANYTHING DRAMATICALLY.

I JUST WANT TO GET IN AND GIVE BACK TO WHAT EVERYBODY HAS GIVEN TO THIS PLACE OVER THE YEARS.

I'M NOT TRYING TO REINVENT THE RESTAURANT, I'M TRYING TO JUST CARRY ON SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY CAREFULLY PUT TOGETHER OVER MANY DECADES.

AND I JUST WANT TO PRESERVE THAT.

I WANT PEOPLE TO REMAIN CONTAINED AND HOLD THOSE MEMORIES THEY HAVE KNOWING THAT THEY CAN COME BACK HERE.

>> ROB, I HOPE YOU'RE STILL DOING WELL AND DOING THE SAME THING YOU'RE DOING NOW FOR ANOTHER 90 YEARS.

>> I PLAN ON IT.

>> OKAY.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

♪♪