The “good old days” for most people were much simpler times that are long past. There are certain places, however, where it is possible to return to that feeling for a time. Spangler’s Hilltop Diner at 524 W. Chicago St. in Jonesville is one of those places.
Outside Spangler’s hangs a blue and red neon sign that simply says, “EAT”. With a tiled floor, a few classic diner tables, and salmon colored walls, it is difficult not to think that you have entered a different era.
A small bit of imagination forms the little diner into a moment from the 1940s, with little garden pots filled with multicolored, neon colored daisies. Home-kitchen decorations such as ladles and plates also cover the half-salmon-half-teal colored walls.
Two very characteristic features of old diners are the homey feel and local connections. Spangler’s is no different. The majority of Spangler’s customers are middle-aged or older and have been coming to Spangler’s for years.
Jerry Webb has been coming to Spangler’s for six years.
“There are regulars who have been coming here for years now,” Webb said, “I just have a lot of friends here.”
“There are a lot of regulars, but there’s all different kinds of people,” said Tracy Ferguson, Spangler’s only waitress. “More recently we’ve seen more of a variety of people. I think a lot of them are just looking for good home cooking, and they get that here.”
“The service was great and it had that small-town-know-everybody-by-first-name feel,” freshman Colton Gilbert said. “The burger I had was hearty and satisfying.”
Senior Ryan Johnson enjoys the somewhat unique, yet American home cooking with meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and peas.
“I like that they serve food on plastic cafeteria plates,” Johnson said. “It made the meal low key and fun. The omelettes were delicious because they made them from scratch. And I had cauliflower in my omelette, which is awesome. The rolls were delicious, and it made me feel like I was out there in the town.”
One unique item on the menu is the “smiley face burger,” served open-faced with a smiley face drawn on it ketchup. When Johnson asked about this burger, Ferguson joked, “Well it’s not too exciting after serving them for 20 years.”
As customers go to the cash register to pay, next to the register is a bucket of 25 cent York Peppermint Patties.
Webb and Ferguson, joked with eachother as she began to close. As they joked around, another customer came in to ask how late the restaurant was open.
The restaurant was officially closed already, but Ferguson was still willing to serve the latecomer anything still available in the kitchen.
While a non-regular customer is unusual at Spangler’s Hilltop Diner, a nostalgic experience and great American cooking are always to be found.
Whether it is the smiley-face burger or the meatloaf and mashed potatoes, Spangler’s offers a quiet place to eat along with an opportunity to be a part of the community.
