>> WE KNEW WE HAD THE RIGHT
PLACE EVEN BEFORE WE GOT INSIDE
THE HARTLAND DINER IN VERMONT. >> PEOPLE ARE TALKING TO PEOPLE
AT THE COUNTER. YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY TINY
CONVERSATION HERE. NO, EVERYBODY WILL KNOW WHATTIOR
TALKING ABOUT. >> NOT YOUR TYPICAL DINER OWNER,
NICHOLE IS A LAWYER AND
CERTIFIED TEACHER WHO JUST LOVES
DINERS. >> MAYBE BECAUSE I WATCHED, YOU
KNOW, "ALICE" ON TV WAY BACK,
IT'S BEEN IN THE BACK OF MY
HEAD, DINER WAITRESS SEEMED
GREAT, RIGHT. IF IT'S BUSY, I'M PLAYING MUSIC
IN THE KITCHEN AND I'M SINGING
BECAUSE IT'S MY PLACE AND I'LL
SING IF I WANT TO. >> EVEN BETTER, SHE WANTS TO
MAKE REALLY GOOD DINER FOOD
MAIDEN TIERL FROM SCRATCH LIKE
THE HASH, FOR A SMALL DINER,
VERY LARGE VARIETY, WITNESS THE
MENU THAT TAKES TWO HANDS AND NOTHING PETITE ABOUT THE
PANCAKES HERE, EITHER. >> IS THERE A PLATE UNDER THERE? >> I HOPE SO, YEAH. >> SHE MAY BE SERIOUS ABOUT THE
FRESH FOOD, BUT CONSIDERABLY
MORE CASUAL ON THE REST HERE. >> THE DECOR, KITSCHY? >> ON PURPOSE. >> WHILE BERNIE HAS YET TO MAKE
THE DRIVE FRO BURLINGTON. >> I WOULD DRIVE HERE FOR THE
HASH! >> MORNING ON THE ROAD AND
SURPRISE, SURPRISE, A NEW DINER
TO CHECK OUT, THE COUNTRY GIRL
JUST OFF ROUTE 100 IN CHESTER
VERMONT. >> I COOK BREAKFAST AT HOME, NOW
I HAVE 200 PEOPLE COMING OVER. >> PARTNERS PAUL AND JESS HAVE
SPENT MOST OF THEIR ADULT LIVES
IN THE FOOD BIZ. IN 2017, THEY BOUGHT THIS
CHESTER LANDMARK, THEIR FIRST
DINER AND A BIT OF A LIFELONG
DREAM. >> I ALWAYS WANTED A DINER AND
IT WOULD BE ONE OF THE 10 BEST
DINERS IN AMERICA. IT'S JUST A DREAM COME TRUE FOR
BOTH OF US. >> AND IT'S A GEM, A GENUINE
SILK CITY DINER BUILT IN 1944 IN
PATTERSON, NEW JERSEY, IT WAS
MOVED FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE TO ITS
PRESENT LOCATION IN 1966 AND
REMAINS A COMMUNITY GATHERING PLACE, LOOK WHO I MET, THE Q-TIP
GIRLS, TRADEMARK T-SHIRTS AND
ALL. >> DON'T TELL ME THE WHITE HAIR. >> YEAH. >> IS THIS THE OFFICIAL DINER OF
THE Q-TIPS? >> ABSOLUTELY. >> DID I MENTION THE FOOD? >> EVERYTHING IS HOMEMADE. >> ALL VERMONT. >> LOCAL DAIRY, LOCAL BREAD AND
MAPLE SYRUP JUST UP THE STREET
FOR US. IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN
THAT. >> THAT'S CERTAINLY TRUE ABOUT
THE HOMEMADE HASH. >> A BETTER WAY TO START THE
DAY. >> SO THE OWNERS ALONG WITH PAUL
AND ZACH KEEPING IT ALL IN THE
FAMILY, EXTENDED AND OTHERWISE. >> I WANT TO FEET EVERYBODY,
THAT'S OUR THING. MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS FAT AND
HAPPY. >> IT WAS A FROZEN FEBRUARY
MORNING IN VERMONT, FORTUNATELY
THE GRILL WAS ALL WARMED UP AT
THE CHELSEA ROYAL DINER IN WEST
BRATTLEBORO, IT'S THE REAL DEAL,
A GENUINE 1938 WORCESTER WHICH HAPPENED A YEAR'S LATER ON THE
MAIN STREET AND MOVED TO ITS
PRESENT LOCATION IN 1987, TODD
BOUGHT IT IN 1990 AND STILL GETS
A KICK AT HOW ECLECTIC THE CROWD
IS HERE. >> THAT'S WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT
VERMONT. WE HAVE THE PROFESSIONALS AND WE
HAVE THE GARDENERS AND FARMERS
THAT COME HERE AND FREQUENT US. >> ALSO VERY VERMONT, ALL OF THE
ARTWORK CREATED BY JEANETTE IN
HER STUDIO OUT BACK, IN A LITTLE
BARN ABOVE THE CHICKEN COOP, IF
YOU LISTEN, YOU CAN HEAR THEM. BUT THIS --
>> OUR OWN LOCAL EGGS RIGHT
HERE. >> AND THIS WERE MORE THE SOUNDS
WERE AFTER AND IT'S WHAT BRINGS
IN LOYAL DROVES OF CUSTOMERS
HERE DAY AFTER DAY, YEAR AFTER
YEAR, JUST ASK SUE FISHER WHO
HAS BEEN WITH THE DINER FOR NEARLY 25 YEARS. >> IT'S LOCAL, IT'S FAMILY, WE
HAVE GENERATIONS OF CUSTOMERS
COMING IN, YOU KNOW, WE WATCH
OUT AFTER THEM, IF WE DON'T SEE
SOME OF THEM, WE GIVE THEM A
CALL AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT GREAT ABOUT BEING LOCAL. >> OF COURSE, IT ALSO HELPS THAT
THE FOOD IS GOOD AND MENU IS
INTERESTING LIKE THE SIGNATURE
BREAKFAST PLATE, THE CAJUN
SKILLET. >> WE WANT YOU TO BE COMFORTABLE
COMING THROUGH HERE. OUR JOB, TO FEED PEOPLE AND WANT
THEM TO COME BACK. >> THAT'S A JOB WELL DONE. YOU CAN'T VISIT BENNINGTON,
VERMONT, WITHOUT STOPPING AT THE
BLUE BENN. >> EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERYBODY
HERE? >> JUST ABOUT. >> SINCE 1948, THIS CLASSIC RAIL
CAR DINER HAS BEEN SORT OF
FROZEN IN TIME, COMPLETE WITH
MILE HIGH PIE AND TABLETOP
JUKEBOXES. WHAT DO YOU LOVE BEST ABOUT
THIS? >> THE PEOPLE. >> PAT SHEPHERD IS THE SISTER OF
SONNY MONROE WHO CO-OWNED THE
BLUE BENN UNTIL HE PASSED AWAY
AT THE END OF 2019. >> 36 YEARS, I WORKED WITH MY
DAD IN NORTH BENNINGTON AND THE
MILL CLOSED DOWN. I COME OUT FOR LUNCH ONE DAY AND
SONNY COME OUT AND SAT DOWN WITH
ME AND SAID PAT, DO YOU WANT TO
WORK. SONNY, I DON'T EVEN KNOW THE
MENU. AND HE SAYS YOU CAN DO IT, YOU
CAN DO IT. >> HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED
HERE? >> 22 YEARS. >> UNREAL. >> DICK HALL IS A LOCAL COP. HOW OFTEN DO YOU COME IN? >> THREE, FOUR TIMES A DAY. >> SERIOUSLY, THREE, FOUR TIMES
A DAY? >> YEAH. >> DO YOU GET MOST OF YOUR MEALS
HERE? >> I EAT QUITE A BIT HERE. I LOST MY WIFE, SO I'M BY MYSELF
NOW SO I EAT OUT. >> THIS IS GREAT, GIVES YOU
COMPANY AND GOOD FOOD. >> YEAH. >> OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, THE
MENU IS MONSTER SIZED, WHAT IS
THE WINNER IN PAT'S BOOK? >> THIS IS THE GRILLED DOUGHNUT? >> JUST SMELL IT. >> THIS IS A FIRST, I HAVE NEVER
HAD A GRILLED DOUGHNUT. GENERALLY A DOUGHNUT BY ITSELF
IS INDULGENT ENOUGH. >> RIGHT? TO DIE FOR! >> THE QUESTION IS, HOW CAN YOU
EAT THE WHOLE THING, IT'S SO
RICH. >> YOU CAN'T PUT IT DOWN. >> TRUE. >> NOT TO DROP ANY NAMES, BUT WE
ON THE JUKEBOX AND --
>> I'M IN HE
