Doo-Dah Diner owners are putting a piece of their business on hold for now
Any fears that Patrick and Timirie Shibley may have had about adding a second Doo-Dah Diner at 1530 S. Webb Road were quickly put to rest after they opened in early January.
Loyal customers of the downtown location, which has been closed since New Year’s Day in anticipation of a big remodel, have been finding the east-side spot, Timirie Shibley said. And even more encouraging — a whole new group of customers has been stopping in to try out the restaurant. It’s always busy and frequently has people waiting for tables.
But that has created a bit of a problem, too. The new space, occupied in the past by restaurants like Auntie Mae’s and Curly’s American Diner, has a small kitchen that is being stretched to its capacity. And recently, the Shibleys realized that the kitchen wasn’t going to be able to keep up with filling on-site orders and preparing take-and-bake meals for the Doo-Dah Market, which operates at 220 E. Kellogg, right next door to the downtown location.
So they’ve decided to close the market — but only until the downtown remodel is complete. The market has been closed since Saturday.
About that remodel: Many customers have noticed that nothing much is happening at the original Doo-Dah space at 206 E. Kellogg. Timirie Shibley said that her loan papers, which were on track before the recent partial governments shutdown, expired before the shutdown ended. She’s now having to refile the paperwork, she said, but she hopes work can start soon.
The couple is still aiming for a mid-summer reopening date for both the remodeled downtown restaurant and the market.
Timirie said she’s also heard from many customers who have assumed that the new east store is just a temporary home for Doo-Dah until the original diner reopens. But that’s not the case, Timirie said.
The couple has loved the new diner so much that they’re rethinking their downtown design ideas and now plan to have the interior there reflect the 1950s red vinyl booth feel of the Webb road store.
“It’s not temporary,” Timirie said. “I”m not shutting this place down.”
The downtown remodel project calls for an expansion of the small kitchen into the seating area that’s on the north side of the main dining room now. The bigger kitchen will allow the Shibleys to keep up with more tables, meaning they’’ll finally be able to turn the spacious waiting area on the east side of the building into a dining room.
The remodel also calls for higher ceilings and new restrooms with multiple stalls. When it’s all done, the diner will seat 150.
I’ll update you when work gets started on the downtown remodel.
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