West Alabama town says ‘goodbye’ to long time diner

CARROLTON, Ala. (WBRC) - A landmark is no more in one west Alabama town.

Carrolton said “goodbye” to the Town Square Diner, a staple in the community for decades.

Town Square Diner was the kind of place where everybody knows one another, a little corner off the square that hangs posters and photos of sports heroes from years gone by.

For decades, Town Square Diner was fast-paced; waitresses served generations, it was a diner where strangers became lifelong friends that often ended with a hug and a handshake.

The restaurant served up its famous hamburgers and the lunch of the day along with bowls of memories, laughs and stories. They have all come to an end now.

Carrolton Mayor Mickey Walker marked the occasion with some thoughts and a cake.

“Today is a sad day. Y’all know I’m gonna get emotional. They’ve been for 33 years. Today will be their last day. We just wanna thank them for 33 years of service,” said Walker.

Manager Alice Jones says the “service” was a pleasure, never a bad day at work.

“They were like family. They were not customers. They were like family,” said Jones.

Long time customer Ricky Williams ate here twice a day, breakfast and lunch. Williams says the diner helped make their small town special.

“I don’t know of another restaurant like it. I don’t know we have a lot of fun here every morning,” said Williams.

But in this season of change, new ownership is coming.

“The opportunity came up so we decided to do it,” said new building owner Brandy Hallman.

Hallman plans to continue the diner but under a different name, Carrolton Diner. Opening day? Monday, Nov. 4.

“I want to do a wall with pictures of people through the years who’ve been here. It’s pretty much going to stay the same but the cosmetics are gonna change,” said Hallman.

Meantime, on the last day Jones served the final burgers cooked all the way to deer hunters from Florida.

“It’s cool to be part of something. They took in like family from day one and to see an end and be part of that, it’s awesome,” said hunter Travis Schlegel.

The time finally came to close it down on a Friday afternoon in late September, and just like that, memories of the Town Square Diner got locked away after 33 years, but the old diner will never be forgotten.

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