The Resurrection of Griggs Coffee and Peanuts

         "...Pancakes the size of the plates, unlimited hot coffee in your cup, and the best sticky bun recipe in town," expressed animatedly by Mrs. Insinger. Mrs. Insinger is the co-owner of “Grigg's Coffee and Dolly's Diner" restaurant in Montoursville, PA. Grigg's and Dolly's restaurant provides the homiest atmosphere most customers would say. The combination of professionally made coffee and the best sticky bun most people will ever eat, keeps customers wanting more and more. Along with the mouthwatering sticky buns, they serve single pancakes the size of a car steering wheel and cooked perfectly golden on the outside. If that hasn't made your stomach growl, let’s talk about their homemade coffee. Yes, homemade! They roast their own coffee right in the restaurant with the biggest and oldest working coffee and peanut roaster in the world. Along with the elegant smooth coffee, the mouthwatering sticky buns, and even huge plate sized pancakes, Grigg's and Dolly's now has a full sized kitchen, enabling them to serve any meal of the day.

Figure 1: Grigg's famous coffee and peanut roaster.

           Up until 5 years ago, Grigg's Coffee and Peanuts and Dolly's Diner were separately owned restaurants. Grigg's Coffee and Peanuts was established in the 1920's in Montoursville on the main strip Broad Street. Since then, Grigg's moved to Loyalsock Avenue where it has a unique way of blending right in with the town itself. When the founder of Grigg's passed away, Ron and Carol Insinger, owners of Dolly's Diner in the next town over, bought Grigg's from Steph Griggs. Out of respect for the Grigg's family the Insingers decided to keep the name and the history of the famous Griggs coffee shop alive. Hundreds of antiques from the original Grigg's coffee shop cover the walls to add an old fashion look. Across the room sits a colossal ancient coffee machine (Figure 1).This hundred year old machine resembles a steam engine of a train with all the shiny knobs and levers. Since the Insingers' bought the establishment, the town has fallen in love with the little hometown restaurant.

          Driving up to Grigg's and Dolly's, this small coffee shop compares to the size of a small town house. Fancy lights hang from the top of the building and a nice maroon and gold sign that says, "Grigg's Coffee and Peanuts and Dolly's Diner." When the double wooden and glass doors open, a sign apprises you to take a seat anywhere. A dark aura cloaks the entire restaurant except for the most important parts of the dining room like the bar (Figure 2) and the old coffee roaster (Figure 1). The bar is actually the same bar from the original Grigg's back in the 1920's. A shiny coat of polyurethane and beautiful dim lights cover the bar like a blanket. Sitting at the bar, two glass cases hold captive the famous sticky buns made from a secret Griggs recipe. With that glass case comes the sweet smell of fresh cinnamon and sugar glaze that triggers the taste buds of everyone in the room. The smell of fresh coffee, coming from the right side of the bar, where 4 coffee pots sit to regain their energy. The roasted coffee beans and peanuts sit in bags on shelves waiting for someone to favor their specific flavor. The bar has a special coffee machine that can make a combination of hundreds of different specialty coffee style drinks. It can brew any flavor of coffee as well as any flavoring to sweeten the taste. A high pitched noise that could break glass echoes through the dining area. The frothier, as the waitresses call it, makes this disrupting noise but produces the smoothest coffee that Grigg's makes.

Figure 2: Grigg's shiny hardwood bar.

         Taking a seat in the dining area customers have a choice of either a hard wood table with hardwood chairs or a booth that is completely made of hardwood and polished to perfection. When observing from the center of the dining area a ceiling that looks like it belongs in a fancy mansion or historical building like the White House hangs above. Specifically The same ceiling from the original Grigg's back in 1920. Many customers enjoy the consistent smell of syrup that never leaves the air through breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The waitress comes with paper place mats that contain all the companies and businesses that help support the restaurant, many of which are from Montoursville. Always introducing herself, the waitress offers to get customers a drink or whatever else they might need. Around the room, hundreds of antique coffee containers, old bags, and jars full of coffee beans perch on every open ledge available. These containers constantly give the air a scent of fresh coffee beans. People in the restaurant, almost all above the age of 50, might not be at the same table but will talk to people at other tables and start conversations with complete strangers. There is a sound of clashing silver ware with the plates and also the sound of people laughing hysterically as they appreciate their morning coffee and company.

          A key aspect to this great restaurant is the workers and their hospitality. Back in the kitchen two giant silver tables prepare the food for the restaurant with the help of the two chefs of course. One cook wears an Eagles helmet and jersey ready for the big game that night and the other cook wears ear buds as he dances and cooks to the song in his ears. Right outside the kitchen sits the washroom where the waitresses go to take their dirty dishes and keep track of the money coming in out of the restaurant. Each waitress constantly runs in and out of this room like an assembly line. The waitresses wear all black unless they have a special jersey for the game that night. Some rooting for the Eagles, others for the Patriots. These waitresses smile at every customer and are constantly sprinting to tables when the customers need anything. As the customers leave the restaurant the waitress ecstatically advises them to "have a nice day," and waves goodbye. The right end of the bar is where the waitresses gather while waiting for more customers or fold more silverware for the next group of people to come in. These waitresses have a strong backbone from dealing with difficult customers everyday and refuel on the happiness of other customers. The waitresses fly through the skinny walking areas with a tray full of food using their amazing balance skills to pass out all the food to everyone in one swift motion. These waitresses do their job well but also care about all their customers no matter how long the day gets.

Figure 3: A variety of flavored coffee and peanuts.

          Grigg's Coffee and Dolly's Diner serves breakfast all day, along with lunch and dinner. They are very well known for their amazing breakfast entrees such as their big pancakes and sticky buns. However their biggest hit for breakfast is "The Mess." This meal is a combination of potatoes, eggs, bacon, peppers, onions, and cheesy goodness that comes with some buttered toast and a variety of jelly. The "Big Bopper," another top seller, presents an impossible to finish task, with three gigantic pancakes and their evil accomplice syrup. This dish also served with its kin, sizzling bacon and sausage. They serve many other entrees during the day but the food selection is that of any other basic style restaurant food. Along with this food they serve 10 of the homemade flavored coffees that they sell in bulk to customers.

          The workers at Grigg's and Dolly's delight in seeing their customers as they walk in and find a place to sit at one of many hardwood tables. Training for each waitress involves the help from an official trainer or the help of the best waitresses available. Mrs. Insinger adds, "We prefer to hire waitresses that have experience, that way we can have the best staff for our customers." When the restaurant the size of a mini mart is packed full, the waitresses do not get worked up or overwhelmed because each waitress starts to help one another like a team aiming to win an important game. "They all work as a great team, unlike other restaurants I have been to," Mrs. Insinger states. 

           As the day comes to a close, the entire restaurant becomes filled with the sound of dishes being cleaned and racked. The waitresses start to count money and wash off tables. All the coffee gets poured into the waitresses cups as they work exhaustively to start wrapping up when their customers leave. And the amazing restaurant closes with waitresses slowly filing out one by one. The lights outside stay on so that the sign saying "Grigg's Coffee and Peanuts and Dolly's Diner," is illuminated to greet guests the next morning when they open bright and early.