Why Don’t People Visit this Wonderful Diner in South Jersey?

If there's one thing we love in New Jersey, it's our diners.

Where else can you get a great omelet late at night or a juicy burger for breakfast?

And it's not just about the food.  Diners have attitude.  Each diner has a personality, from the people who work there, to the decor, to the customers.

Each morning I drive by the Northfield Diner on New Road in Northfield, and I've come to notice that there never seem to be any cars in the parking lot.

I've pulled into the parking lot to see if the place is open, and indeed, they are.

It's been perplexing to me.

I've asked my co-workers if anyone knows about this place.

No one seems to know.

Curiosity got the best of me.

I decided to make this an investigative assignment.  I decided to go in, undercover, and see for myself what the deal is with this place.

My assignment took place one-morning last week.

When I pulled up, there were just two cars in the lot.  One appeared to be someone reading a book, and I assume the other was an employee's car.

As I entered the diner, I was struck by how clean it looked.  It was bright, the floors were spotless, and the booths were in great shape.

Right off the bat, the place looks better than some of the other places I've been to.

I waited a few moments for someone to come greet me.

A woman came out from the back with a nice smile, gave me a friendly greeting, and told me I could choose where I wanted to sit.

Once seated, I was given a menu, and she took my drink order.

When she returned with my diet coke, I gave her my order, and she said my food would be out in a few minutes.

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While I waited, I kept looking around.  What is wrong with this place?  What am I missing?

I began wondering if the food was going to be bad.  That must be it.  The food is going to be bad.

My food came out in a timely fashion.  I think the waitress, is also the cook.  Given this fact, it is amazing how quickly the food came out.

Hmm, the plate looks good.

I ordered the lox omelet, and it was a nice size portion, there was a good portion of home fries, and the toast was even buttered nicely.

Ah, but it must taste horrible, right?

The food was very good.

I wasn't a fan of the home fries, but it's difficult to find good home fries, so that didn't matter to me.

Admittedly, it was only breakfast, but the food was very good.

The price was consistent with the other places, and the service was friendly and fast.

I didn't tell the waitress I was there undercover, but I had to ask,

Why isn't this place packed?

We had a nice little exchange, and she told me about the history of the Northfield Diner.

It used to be known as Athena, and it's been around for many years.

So why don't people come here?

"I don't really know..."

I felt bad.  I left a nice tip and thanked her for a nice meal.

I'll be back.  If you haven't been there recently, I suggest you try it.