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11/10/22
By: KyvLynn Shipley-Patrick
B-town diner, an authentic American restaurant, is located in the heart of downtown Bloomington. “Everything made from scratch”- says https://btowndiner.com/. This breakfast and lunch specialty diner has the locally famous “Hoosier Haystack”. Some more favorites are the stuffed french toast, biscuits and gravy, and hash browns.
The current owner of the diner is Meranda Shipley-Bush. She is a 36-year-old, part-time student and small business owner, here in Bloomington. Her story is an interesting one, so we caught up with her this week to ask a few questions. We started by asking her how long the diner has been around. She says, “ We had our grand opening March 3rd, 2014”. But what's the backstory? The previous owner Chris, and her met through his computer repair shop. She says, “The topic of food service came up, he had an idea and needed a partner.” After Three months of hard work, they finally opened their doors. Previously the manager, after four years Meranda says she decided to part ways with the diner, but after six months Chris asked her if she wanted to buy it. He roped her in and on January 1st, 2019 the diner was hers!
The covid pandemic has damaged a lot of businesses, so we asked her, “how has it affected yours?” She told us that it's been pretty tough, “we’ve been struggling pretty bad actually.”
“We haven't bounced back”, she says. “Inflation is killing us, and we haven’t seen anyone looking for work, it’s a struggle but we are still trying”
We wanted to lighten the mood. So we asked, “what's the most famous item on the menu?”
She says that the most famous dish is the “Hoosier Haystack” which she says consists of, “It’s a massive plate of hash downs, biscuits, and gravy, eggs, cheese and bacon, piled high” Another breakfast fav is the stuffed french toast which has homemade sweet cream filling according to Meranda.
Their menu includes a variety of dishes like Beef manhattan, Shrimp Po'Boy, Chicken and waffles, and parmesan and garlic-loaded fries. They serve breakfast all day long. But also serve lunch from 9 am to 3 pm. There are also some vegetarian options including the “Hippie Hash” Meranda says, ”All the veggies sauteed on the grill topped with feta cheese and avocado.”
B-Town Diner is an amazing local restaurant that is loved by many and we hope to see it be around for years to come.
Miranda says she is doing her best and we trust she is. If you are interested in checking them out go to their website at btowndiner.com stop by and see them in downtown Bloomington. Looking for work? She says just go in and ask for her! They’ve also been featured recently on the Youtube series, “Americas Best Restaurants” Click Here!
Contributor Bio
KyvLynn is an 11-year-old that loves volleyball, hanging out with friends, and watching baking shows. Her favorite color is green and her favorite food is shrimp tacos.
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