Woohoo! Retro is always in fashion when you take 1 part burger joint, add a healthy portion of 50’s memorabilia, and then wrap it all up in hammered tin and chrome. The Park Diner is all about the 50’s in its appearance, but I was sadly left with only a partial sense of nostalgia for a time long before I was born. Still, it’s a good alternative to the hordes of clone restaurants on the Division Street strip.
Food: 7 (Good size portions)What to expect? 10 points to the guy in the corner that said Americana. Yep, burgers and sandwiches with cutsie names like “The Potsie” are all over the menu. There is also a breakfast menu for those who are looking for a little morning faire.

Presentation was good. Salads are laid out nicely with lots of toppings and little or no rust. While lettuce rust is not necessarily completely in the control of the restaurant, keeping it to a minimum is a mark of quality. Kids meals are served in cardboard Mustang convertibles which may seem minor to adults, but for the 3 to 8 year crowd that’s a brand new toy holding their food. Malts and shakes are a winner as they are served with the tin cup extras.
Meals are not robust, but definitely on the larger side of average for Central Minnesota.
Service: 6 (Bus staff is excellent)

Service was good but not outstanding, but, considering most of the staff seems to be younger, honing good customer service skills tends to be a developmental process that can take a long time. Like most restaurants that stay open for longer than a few months, the wait staff checks in as often as they need to. Not any more it seems than is necessary to keep you complacent.

The bus staff was a pleasure to watch as they descended on tables before the customers had even left the building. The power to turn tables quickly can be a great boon for places of this nature where the seating is not ample. This seems to be the case whether they are crazy busy or not. Kudos.

Atmosphere: 8 (So close to greatness.)

Ok, love the decor and the whole diner feel. I don’t wish to detract from that part of the experience. Its bright and gleaming in there with scads of cool things to look at in case the conversation with the person on the other side of the table is not interesting enough to absorb you attention. Hammered tin ceilings are cool no matter where you are and ya gotta have a checked floor in a place like this.

Overall, the environs were really well done. My only disappointment lies in the fact the theme did not travel completely across the board. I mean, even the dishes looked like they were appropriate for the time period! My disappointment lies in the fact that the servers were not in a period attire. The whole nine yards with hoop skirts and that stuff would be really over the top, but ANY attempt to coincide with the theme and it would complete the dining experience for me. If you are going to go through the trouble of making a recreation, then you need to go a little further.

In closing, would I eat there again? Definitely. Will I like it? Sure. Will I still grouse about the lack of theme continuity? ABSOLUTELY, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Feel free to comment if you thing I am anywhere near correct, but don’t feed my ego. It’s full enough already.

Park Diner
1531 Division St, Waite Park, MN
Tel: (320) 252-0080