Wyoming Valley Coaches Name Divisional All-stars

Allegedly drunk driver stops, seeks directions at state police barracks

Andy&rsquo;s Diner is back, serving up satisfaction



 

 
Andy Hornick Jr. mans the grill cooking bacon for the breakfast dishes Tuesday at Andy&rsquo;s River Road Diner in Plains Township. The eatery was flooded with several feet of water in September when the Susquehanna River rose to a record of more than 42 feet. The diner&rsquo;s interior has been changed from top to bottom.
 
 Pete G. wilcox photos/the times leader 
 




 

 
Kathy Hornick waits on the Martins, Ray and Joanna, of Luzerne, as Andy Hornick Sr. checks on other patrons Tuesday.
 

 




 

 
Andy Hornick Sr., of Andy&rsquo;s River Road Diner, receives a welcome-back hug from regular Cindy during the breakfast rush Tuesday.
 
 Pete g. wilcox/the times leader 
 




 

 

PLAINS TWP. &ndash; Booths were filled and counter seats taken Tuesday as Andy&rsquo;s River Road Diner customers returned for food and conversation at the eatery that had been closed since September&rsquo;s flooding.
For the first time in six months, the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee filled the air and contributed to the atmosphere of old friends getting back together.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great getting back,&rdquo; said Andy Hornick Sr., the restaurant&rsquo;s semi-retired founder. &ldquo;I was getting used to being retired, but it&rsquo;s great to see all of our friends again.&rdquo;
Andy Hornick Jr., 39, is the owner now, but he has his mom, Kathy, and dad to help. 
Andy Jr. has been working at the diner since he was a sophomore in high school. He said it cost $350,000 to get the diner back in shape &ndash; most coming from flood insurance and personal savings, and the rest borrowed. The diner had up to 6 feet of water inside when the Susquehanna River swelled to historic levels.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m invested for the future,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A future without floods, I hope. This is our place &ndash; our life.&rdquo;
As plates filled with breakfast food whizzed by, customers marveled at the diner&rsquo;s spanking-new look. Orange walls, shiny stainless steel, black-and-white booths, granite table tops and new menus brought wide eyes and big grins from customers.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been coming here for years,&rdquo; said Bridget Sassi, of Inkerman. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s so family oriented.&rdquo;
Jeanann Robbins, also of Inkerman, said she and Sassi had &ldquo;bounced around&rdquo; from place to place waiting for Andy&rsquo;s to reopen.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s service with a smile here,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;They make you feel right at home.&rdquo;
Andy Sr. was busy filling coffee cups, making sure who got regular and who got decaf.
&ldquo;Everything is so different back here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just have to get used to it again.&rdquo;
Kathy Hornick walked by holding her back.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to take a little time to get back in shape,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;You do things at home, but this is different.&rdquo;
Kathy Loucks of Exeter was ordering breakfast with her daughter, Jennifer Fisher, of Dallas. Fisher&rsquo;s husband, Nicholas, is fond of Andy&rsquo;s chili.
&ldquo;We love the food here,&rdquo; Loucks said. &ldquo;And everyone here is just so pleasant. We missed this place.&rdquo;
Tom and Jane VonFossen drove over from Harding. They said the diner looks much better.
&ldquo;We usually stop here for breakfast or lunch,&rdquo; Tom said, &ldquo;and the great people.&rdquo;
Across River Road, other flood-damaged businesses remain closed. Hornick Jr. said his diner never had water like September&rsquo;s. But that did not discourage him.
&ldquo;This is our property,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We never thought about relocating. This is our community.&rdquo;
Andy&rsquo;s Diner


Location: 1335 River Road, Plains Township

Opened: 1989

Owner: Andy Hornick, Jr.

Hours of operation: Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; closed Mondays; Catering available; large room available for special events.

Phone: 829-9444


To see additional photos, visit www.times


leader.com

Andy’s Diner is back, serving up satisfaction Andy