A-Town Diner is moving to a new spot in downtown Atascadero
After narrowly escaping permanent closure, A-Town Diner has another big change coming: It’s moving to a new location in Atascadero.
The new owners of the beloved restaurant announced the move along with some changes to the restaurant’s menu.
Rob and Mimi Davis, longtime friends of Jeanie Dagnall, whose late husband Steve opened the restaurant nearly 20 years ago, took over ownership of the restaurant days after the doors were set to close permanently.
Rob Davis told the Tribune in September that the couple’s goal was to help the restaurant become self-sustaining, which may require some small changes to the menu and operations.
The restaurant has been open for more than eight weeks now under the new ownership and recently announced some updates.
A-Town Diner moves to new, permanent location in Atascadero
One of the biggest tasks for the new owners was finding a permanent location for the restaurant.
So A-Town Diner is moving up the road to the former Denny’s building on El Camino Real, according to an update from the restaurant that is tucked into its menu.
“We are thrilled and excited to move to a permanent location and be able to make improvements that reflect our vision for the future,” the update says. “This will give us the opportunity to expand and bring back our sorely missed dinners!”
Atascadero diner updates menu
The Davis family said in their update to A-Town Diner patrons that they worked hard to increase the quality of the food and overall experience at the diner.
“After lengthy negotiation, we have established with our vendors the quality of food we demand at the best price possible. This way we can accurately calculate the cost of all items,” the update says. “The pricing updates on the menu reflect the quality of food provided and cost per item in order to ensure the restaurant’s continued success.”
The Davis family did bring back the Early Bird Special, which runs Monday to Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. The special is a 20% discount for early diners who pay by cash or check, according to the update.
Dagnall, the former A-Town Diner owner, said one of the reasons she decided to close (and later sell) the restaurant was because she struggled to keep menu prices low as the cost of food increased with inflation.
Dagnall said she was reluctant to raise her menu prices because she understood that many of her customers were on fixed incomes.
“To raise my menu to the point that it would equal out to my food cost wouldn’t have been fair,” she said.
A-Town Diner is now located at 7305 El Camino Real in Atascadero.
The diner is open Monday to Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
