Today I'm speaking with John, owner of Whiskey Down Diner in Farmingdale, NY. Whiskey Down is a family run establishment that puts a modern twist on traditional diner fare.

Coming up on their 1 year anniversary John is doing his best to support their staff and keep the business going during these challenging times. 

Having dined at Whiskey Down many times myself, I can attest to how good the food really is. When you first walk in you're welcomed to an inviting space with a throwback to old diner feel. The footprint and menu is smaller but the quality and fresh ingredients is much higher. 

I shared with John that growing up I was never really a fan of diners because of the large selection. I could never decide what I wanted to eat. John told me coming up with their menu went through a few iterations. With family roots in the diner business they didn't want to abandon things they knew would work but at the same they wanted to meet modern tastes.

John suggests, it was time for a change in the diner business. Sticking to tradition you can get breakfast at any time of the day. On the menu you'll find items like Boston Cream pancakes and a selection of whiskeys that tops out at over 50 on most days, Whiskey Down Diner is destination not to be missed by any foodie. 

With their one year anniversary just around the corner on June 5th, it's been a year of firsts for Whiskey Down Diner. For Whiskey Down, they are staying busy but that's just not enough to keep the staff on full time or to meet the number of hours they are used to. Working at reduced staff means less cooking capacity in general for restaurants. At the time of this recording they had already reached capacity for Mother's Day orders. 

Shoutout to Chef Robertson V who asked "What's on hot on the menu?' John goes on to describe their unique pancake recipe created by his father years ago that's aptly titled Pete's Pancakes on the menu. They made a riff on the pancakes with the popular lemon blueberry pancakes which I've personally tried and are amazing. 

At Whiskey Down you'll also find healthier options like their quinoa bowls that are one of my Mom's favorite dishes.  Pro tip: Order pancakes as a dessert to share with the table.

Halfway through the episode I decided to have some fun and lighten things up. John was my first Big Food Talk speed round. We played the diner edition!

Find out his answers to the questions below by listening to complete episode

At the end of the interview we discussed how Whiskey Down is pivoting, John gets emotional when talking about his staff and how much they mean to him and his family. It's not easy but they are making things work as best they can. Having seen the creativity and better yet, the quality of food I have no doubt Whiskey Down Diner will be here for a long time. 

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