VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: The Daily Diner has opened a new location in Salina.
Jacob Lazarus: Manlius’s “The Daily Diner” doubles up. A new location is officially open in Salina, and NCC reporter Andrew Watson is on the scene with more. Andrew?
Andrew Watson: Thank’s Jake. The Daily Diner in Manlius opened up back in 2023, but today a new location opened up here on Route 11 in North Syracuse. And judging by the amount of people that streamed inside of the renovated building, i’d say that the ownership could call this a huge success.
Mark Bullis is the owner of The Daily Diner’s second location. But while it is only day one at The Daily Diner, Bullis feels strongly about employing more than 400 people across his restaurant ventures.
Mark Bullis: It’s probably one of the things I’m most proud of in my career anyway.
Watson: While the menu is a main draw for diners across the country. Bullis also believes that a friendly environment and staff is just as effective to gain traction in a new area.
Bullis: Most people going to a diner they go in a few times a week. They get to know the person behind the bar, the person who gets the coffee or the manager. They become part of their everyday life.
Watson: Now, when you think about a diner, you normally think about nice light fluffy pancakes, maybe even some bacon and eggs or just breakfast in general. The Daily Diner understands that a diner is much more than a breakfast spot, it’s a place for the community to gather.
Bullis: But diners, where you get to see their families, you get to see the kids. They come in, they get their pancakes, they get their milkshakes with Cookie Monster on top of it. But that to me is what I’m hoping this becomes.
Watson: Julie’s diner, located just up the street on Route 11. has been around for more than 23 years. This means that the North Syracuse breakfast staple has had plenty of time to build a loyal following.
Ken Maryon: All of our employees have been here, I think a minimum five years. So we, it’s like a family and when people come in here they kind of like sense that, they feel it.
Watson: In focussing on the success of Julie’s diner, Maryon believes in a familiar feeling that not only the daily diner is attempting to follow, but diners around the country. The general happiness of the community.
Maryon: We have local people coming in its just, a local place and we just do our best to make sure everybody is happy when they walk through that door.
Watson: Even though The Daily Diner has only been open for one day, they do not have to look too far to find another very successful diner in Syracuse. From North Syracuse, Andrew Watson, NCC News.
SALINA, N.Y. (NCC News) — It is widely believed that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but for many there are a multitude of options in the morning.
However, arguably the most significant option in Central New York are diners.
Whether it’s for the conversations over “home cooked” meals or the friendly environment, a diner is an integral part of many Central New Yorkers’ daily routine.
But now there is one more option for residents of North Syracuse — The Daily Diner.
One of the owners of the new diner, Mark Bullis, says he believes that there is much more to a diner than the fragrant smell of breakfast food.
“But diners, where you get to see their families, you get to see the kids. They come in, they get their pancakes, they get their milkshakes with Cookie Monster on top of it,” Bullis said. “That to me is what I’m hoping this becomes.”
The Daily Diner’s first location opened its doors in Manlius in 2023.
It transformed the building at 3713 Brewerton Rd, from what used to be a Ponderosa Steakhouse into a bustling family-friendly diner.
Bullis says that North Syracuse and Brewerton Road specifically was the perfect spot to open the second version of The Daily Diner.
“It’s just fantastic — traffic counts. I mean this is a great neighborhood,” Bullis said. “I’d been watching this building for quite a while.”
But The Daily Diner is not the only of its kind on Brewerton Road, as Julie’s Diner is just a short walk up the street.
While this could create a dilemma for residents in choosing their breakfast spot, the general manager at Julie’s Diner, Ken Maryon, believes that a loyal following is key.
“All of our employees have been here, I think, a minimum of five years. So we, it’s like a family and when people come in here they kind of sense that, they feel it,” Maryon said.
Either way, both restaurant on Brewerton Road follow a similar framework when it comes to running a diner.
“We have local people coming in, it’s just a local place and we just do our best to make sure everybody is happy when they walk through that door,” Maryon said.