Winsted Diner reopens for one day

WINSTED — On Thursday, Sept. 27, food was once again finer at The Winsted Diner.The diner reopened for one day to satisfy the town’s zoning codes, which states that when a business shuts down for six months or more, a new site plan is required to be filed for the building.The diner closed down in late February after 80 years in business. The most recent owner, Jean Bauer, said the closure was due to financial hardships.Bauer said she originally believed zoning codes required the business to be open once every year to be in compliance.When she found out that the codes require a business to be open at least once every six months, she said she had to scramble to get the diner open by the end of September.“I have been up since 3 a.m. to get the diner ready to open by 11 a.m.,” Bauer said. “I had lots of people who were once my customers stop by. One of them walked into the diner and yelled, ‘I’m home!’”Bauer made a large variety of traditional Winsted Diner offerings for its one-day opening, including a Thanksgiving sandwich: roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce on a grilled hard roll.She also made the classic Ra-Doc-A-Doodle sandwich, which was created by Bob Radocchio, who owned the diner for more than 33 years.The sandwich is sausage, egg and cheese on a sandwich-sized English muffin.“Bob created the Ra-Doc-A-Doodle many years before McDonald’s even invented the egg McMuffin. I’m pretty sure that McDonald’s got the recipe from him,” Bauer joked.Bauer said she was not sure if she will be able to ever reopen the diner on a permanent basis. “I don’t think so,” she said. “There’s a lot to take on and there’s too much debt involved.”So, on Friday, Sept. 28, the diner was once again closed for business.

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