1 00:00:00,877 --> 00:00:05,877 (chimes) 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:05,979 --> 00:00:08,609 (snare drum hits) 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 5 00:00:08,609 --> 00:00:13,598 - [Voiceover] Boston is behind the Cheers TV show. 6 00:00:14,048 --> 00:00:16,852 A bar where people could hang out 7 00:00:16,852 --> 00:00:18,687 and just feel like it's their second home. 8 00:00:18,687 --> 00:00:19,729 They could go there. 9 00:00:19,729 --> 00:00:22,607 It wasn't really "I'm hungry" or "I need a drink". 10 00:00:22,607 --> 00:00:24,275 It was "I want to feel welcome". 11 00:00:24,275 --> 00:00:27,779 ♫ Cause these are the best days, best days 12 00:00:27,779 --> 00:00:31,658 ♫ Perfect in every way 13 00:00:31,658 --> 00:00:35,330 ♫ I know I'll be okay, okay 14 00:00:35,330 --> 00:00:39,823 ♫ Forget about yesterday ♫ 15 00:00:48,913 --> 00:00:51,761 - [Voiceover] Boston native, born and raised 16 00:00:51,761 --> 00:00:53,346 every day of my life. 17 00:00:53,346 --> 00:00:56,475 Can't mess with a great hamburger and french fries. 18 00:00:56,475 --> 00:00:57,809 Mother fuckers come up in here 19 00:00:57,809 --> 00:01:01,772 and get their little eggs and their little bacon 20 00:01:01,772 --> 00:01:04,445 and this type of weird shit, 21 00:01:04,445 --> 00:01:07,820 but you know, I mean, all-American hamburger 22 00:01:07,820 --> 00:01:10,029 and french fries, you know what I'm saying? 23 00:01:10,029 --> 00:01:12,239 You can't, you can't fight with that. 24 00:01:12,239 --> 00:01:13,992 Some of my people call me "H". 25 00:01:13,992 --> 00:01:16,028 Some of my people call me "K". 26 00:01:16,028 --> 00:01:18,196 Some of my people call me a lot of things, 27 00:01:18,196 --> 00:01:22,582 but when I'm dealing with a hamburger from here, 28 00:01:22,582 --> 00:01:24,161 you can call it hamburger, huh? 29 00:01:24,161 --> 00:01:26,255 How about that? 30 00:01:26,255 --> 00:01:28,215 - [Voiceover] I had never been in a diner prior to 31 00:01:28,215 --> 00:01:30,133 walking into South Street Diner. 32 00:01:30,133 --> 00:01:31,301 I had never been in a diner. 33 00:01:31,301 --> 00:01:33,845 As close as I had come to a diner was Woolworth's 34 00:01:33,845 --> 00:01:35,388 which is a five and dime. 35 00:01:35,388 --> 00:01:37,389 Here in Lynn, my mother used to 36 00:01:37,389 --> 00:01:39,434 walk me down in a carriage, 37 00:01:39,434 --> 00:01:43,014 and I'd sit on a stool and I'd spin on a stool. 38 00:01:43,014 --> 00:01:44,857 And she'd say "stop doing that!" 39 00:01:44,857 --> 00:01:46,358 "The manager's going to get mad at you." 40 00:01:46,358 --> 00:01:48,276 And when I bought the diner, 41 00:01:48,276 --> 00:01:49,768 the first day, she came in behind me, 42 00:01:49,768 --> 00:01:53,032 and I said, "see ma, now I can sit on the stool, and spin" 43 00:01:53,032 --> 00:01:55,525 "all I want and the manager can't yell at me anymore." 44 00:01:55,525 --> 00:01:58,279 (rock music) 45 00:01:58,279 --> 00:01:59,537 - [Voiceover] We're coming to the diner today 46 00:01:59,537 --> 00:02:02,666 cause we came yesterday and we liked it so much, 47 00:02:02,666 --> 00:02:03,826 the boys wanted to come back for 48 00:02:03,826 --> 00:02:06,002 a proper American breakfast. 49 00:02:06,002 --> 00:02:07,586 The boys have had pancakes which is 50 00:02:07,586 --> 00:02:09,213 what they really love which we don't 51 00:02:09,213 --> 00:02:11,591 get in England, properly, at all. 52 00:02:11,591 --> 00:02:12,792 - I think that there's a massive difference 53 00:02:12,792 --> 00:02:14,969 between hospitality in America and 54 00:02:14,969 --> 00:02:16,145 hospitality in England. 55 00:02:16,145 --> 00:02:21,060 Here, everyone's friendly and everyone's nice 56 00:02:21,060 --> 00:02:23,728 and everyone says "hello", asks how you are. 57 00:02:23,728 --> 00:02:26,086 In England you don't get that. 58 00:02:26,086 --> 00:02:29,151 The waiter walks out to you really grumpy 59 00:02:29,151 --> 00:02:30,693 and says "what do you want"? 60 00:02:30,693 --> 00:02:34,064 I mean, literally, it's that bad. 61 00:02:34,064 --> 00:02:35,573 - My name is Sean Gross. 62 00:02:35,573 --> 00:02:36,490 I work at the diner. 63 00:02:36,490 --> 00:02:39,068 I'm the longest employee working here. 64 00:02:39,068 --> 00:02:40,120 When you want to have a good time, 65 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:41,913 and you come here, and I'm here, 66 00:02:41,913 --> 00:02:43,289 you're going to have a good time. 67 00:02:43,289 --> 00:02:44,499 So, you know, you meet people, 68 00:02:44,499 --> 00:02:46,251 they like you, you like them, 69 00:02:46,251 --> 00:02:48,712 and you know, it's an affordable menu. 70 00:02:48,712 --> 00:02:49,295 You know what I mean? 71 00:02:49,295 --> 00:02:50,589 It's not like you gotta put on 72 00:02:50,589 --> 00:02:52,382 your good shoes to come here. 73 00:02:52,382 --> 00:02:54,021 You just stroll on down, you have the meal. 74 00:02:54,021 --> 00:02:56,844 We have fun, we talk, watch Red Sox or something. 75 00:02:56,844 --> 00:02:57,846 And people have a good time. 76 00:02:57,846 --> 00:03:00,808 But I am happy the people like... 77 00:03:00,808 --> 00:03:02,558 - Everyone here is so genuine. 78 00:03:02,558 --> 00:03:05,396 I mean, they're outgoing and friendly 79 00:03:05,396 --> 00:03:07,439 and you can tell that they're not putting it on. 80 00:03:07,439 --> 00:03:09,274 They're just, that's the way they are. 81 00:03:09,274 --> 00:03:10,775 - You don't get this service at IHOP. 82 00:03:10,775 --> 00:03:13,185 - No, you do not. 83 00:03:13,185 --> 00:03:15,399 - I listen to a lot of music, and 84 00:03:15,399 --> 00:03:18,699 I like to guess what songs my guests will like. 85 00:03:18,699 --> 00:03:20,327 Like, I had a party at table one, 86 00:03:20,327 --> 00:03:21,244 and knew they would want to listen to 87 00:03:21,244 --> 00:03:24,539 Robin or some Alicia Keys or some Britney Spears. 88 00:03:24,539 --> 00:03:26,557 Throw some Madonna in there, we're grooving. 89 00:03:26,557 --> 00:03:28,335 Um, I wanted to work here for a while. 90 00:03:28,335 --> 00:03:30,379 I used to be that kid that would come here 91 00:03:30,379 --> 00:03:32,172 after the club and you're wasted. 92 00:03:32,172 --> 00:03:33,966 You wanted to get some food, get your grub on. 93 00:03:33,966 --> 00:03:35,676 I've had a lot of jobs in my time in the city, 94 00:03:35,676 --> 00:03:38,345 and I usually quit or it doesn't work out 95 00:03:38,345 --> 00:03:41,223 and I get terminated, or I quit before they terminate me. 96 00:03:41,223 --> 00:03:42,639 And what I like about Sol so much 97 00:03:42,639 --> 00:03:45,184 is that he sees how cool I am. 98 00:03:45,184 --> 00:03:47,228 He's told me that, and that's why 99 00:03:47,228 --> 00:03:48,563 I feel kind of cocky saying that out loud, 100 00:03:48,563 --> 00:03:50,898 but it makes me appreciate working for him 101 00:03:50,898 --> 00:03:54,486 and makes me want to do a better job at that. 102 00:03:56,486 --> 00:04:01,486 (serene music) 103 00:04:04,635 --> 00:04:06,165 - [Voiceover] This is kind of somehow turning into 104 00:04:06,165 --> 00:04:07,707 a second home for a lot of people, 105 00:04:07,707 --> 00:04:09,445 not just people who live here in the neighborhood, 106 00:04:09,445 --> 00:04:12,462 but other people who might work night shifts, 107 00:04:12,462 --> 00:04:14,214 especially these odd hours 108 00:04:14,214 --> 00:04:16,175 and feel like maybe there's no where else 109 00:04:16,175 --> 00:04:17,676 for them to go and they come here 110 00:04:17,676 --> 00:04:19,094 and they kind of cultivate their own 111 00:04:19,094 --> 00:04:23,209 kind of little sub-culture family. 112 00:04:23,209 --> 00:04:24,766 - [Voiceover] I'm a computational neuro-scientist 113 00:04:24,766 --> 00:04:26,893 which means I view the mind as software, 114 00:04:26,893 --> 00:04:30,554 and I just published my very first book 115 00:04:30,554 --> 00:04:33,061 of science non-fiction, published by Penguin 116 00:04:33,061 --> 00:04:35,693 called "A Billion Wicked Thoughts". 117 00:04:35,693 --> 00:04:38,529 Because I like to do a lot of work at night 118 00:04:38,529 --> 00:04:40,613 after 11 o'clock and there's just nothing 119 00:04:40,613 --> 00:04:42,367 else nearby where I could possibly go 120 00:04:42,367 --> 00:04:43,785 outside of my house and do work. 121 00:04:43,785 --> 00:04:45,244 And so, I like to get out of my house, 122 00:04:45,244 --> 00:04:47,163 and so this is a great place to come, 123 00:04:47,163 --> 00:04:48,706 11 o'clock, midnight, 1 o'clock in the morning 124 00:04:48,706 --> 00:04:51,959 and just sit and do a couple hours of work. 125 00:04:51,959 --> 00:04:52,919 I like the place a lot. 126 00:04:52,919 --> 00:04:54,128 I'm so glad it's here. 127 00:04:54,128 --> 00:04:55,289 I hope it never goes away. 128 00:04:55,289 --> 00:04:59,593 It's just an essential icon of the Leather district 129 00:04:59,593 --> 00:05:01,544 and downtown Boston. 130 00:05:04,494 --> 00:05:05,557 - This is a landmark. 131 00:05:05,557 --> 00:05:07,725 I mean, it's been here for forever. 132 00:05:07,725 --> 00:05:11,312 I mean, I think what, 60-65 years I think. 133 00:05:11,312 --> 00:05:13,189 And yeah, it's always been known, 134 00:05:13,189 --> 00:05:14,963 like the place to go to, 135 00:05:14,963 --> 00:05:19,612 a reliable place to go to to have something to eat. 136 00:05:22,492 --> 00:05:25,150 - When I spoke to one of the original 137 00:05:25,150 --> 00:05:27,620 builders of The Blue Diner, 138 00:05:27,620 --> 00:05:31,750 he told me that he had a family history 139 00:05:31,750 --> 00:05:33,000 in the restaurant business. 140 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:35,253 His parents ran a restaurant in Boston 141 00:05:35,253 --> 00:05:37,965 called The Blue Kitchen, and then he 142 00:05:37,965 --> 00:05:41,051 and his brother went off to World War II, 143 00:05:41,051 --> 00:05:41,717 and when they came back, 144 00:05:41,717 --> 00:05:44,221 they were looking for something to do. 145 00:05:44,221 --> 00:05:47,682 And so they decided that they would open a diner, 146 00:05:47,682 --> 00:05:49,100 and they found a spot at the corner 147 00:05:49,100 --> 00:05:50,644 of South and Kneeland, 148 00:05:50,644 --> 00:05:54,605 and they somehow came up with a set of plans 149 00:05:54,605 --> 00:05:56,581 to put it together and they and 150 00:05:56,581 --> 00:05:59,947 together with contractors built on site 151 00:05:59,947 --> 00:06:02,447 what is now the South Street Diner 152 00:06:02,447 --> 00:06:03,948 and was originally The Blue Diner 153 00:06:03,948 --> 00:06:08,536 from the 40s all the way through the early 90s. 154 00:06:09,746 --> 00:06:12,206 - Years ago when The Blue Diner, 155 00:06:12,206 --> 00:06:15,877 we'd come here after theater or whatever, you know. 156 00:06:15,877 --> 00:06:17,253 That was kind of iconic. 157 00:06:17,253 --> 00:06:19,671 That was kind of a landmark. 158 00:06:19,671 --> 00:06:22,592 I remember the old leather district, 159 00:06:22,592 --> 00:06:27,554 and I'm 79 so I go back a long way, you know. 160 00:06:27,554 --> 00:06:31,049 But this place has changed radically over the years. 161 00:06:32,299 --> 00:06:34,354 - This is actually my first time here. 162 00:06:34,354 --> 00:06:36,148 My grandfather owned a paper supply store, 163 00:06:36,148 --> 00:06:37,648 and they used to service all the menus 164 00:06:37,648 --> 00:06:40,533 and the place mats and all those things 165 00:06:40,533 --> 00:06:41,861 for many years. 166 00:06:41,861 --> 00:06:46,861 - Blue Diner, 1955 when I started coming to Boston working, 167 00:06:46,958 --> 00:06:49,361 I'd be here almost every morning, 168 00:06:49,361 --> 00:06:53,582 and there was two brothers named Joe and Nick, 169 00:06:54,462 --> 00:06:56,584 and Nick's wife worked here. 170 00:06:56,584 --> 00:07:00,255 They took a little from the mother and father before them. 171 00:07:02,225 --> 00:07:04,759 - The two of them ran it as brothers 172 00:07:04,759 --> 00:07:08,137 and family and when it had a fire in the late 70s, 173 00:07:08,137 --> 00:07:11,431 they decided to just sell and move on, 174 00:07:11,431 --> 00:07:15,311 and they sold the diner to a real estate developer 175 00:07:15,311 --> 00:07:17,098 who held it and was looking for 176 00:07:17,098 --> 00:07:21,059 someone to reopen the diner and renovate it back. 177 00:07:21,059 --> 00:07:25,279 - I, along with Maggie and Susan, 178 00:07:26,709 --> 00:07:29,778 raised some money to open, 179 00:07:29,778 --> 00:07:33,788 reopen The Blue Diner in 1986. 180 00:07:33,788 --> 00:07:36,792 And we did that, I think, in the summer of 86. 181 00:07:36,792 --> 00:07:40,670 - It was an interesting area. 182 00:07:40,670 --> 00:07:45,566 There were a lot of lofts 183 00:07:45,566 --> 00:07:49,762 that were lived in by artists. 184 00:07:51,222 --> 00:07:53,390 There was a lot of empty space. 185 00:07:53,390 --> 00:07:56,812 This used to be a manufacturing neighborhood 186 00:07:56,812 --> 00:08:01,400 that had long since gone south. 187 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,267 It was a seedy, it was just the fringe 188 00:08:04,267 --> 00:08:06,654 of a seedy neighborhood 189 00:08:06,654 --> 00:08:11,565 that needed, you know, some rejuvination 190 00:08:13,025 --> 00:08:16,580 and people considered us crazy, 191 00:08:16,580 --> 00:08:20,043 that we would imagine folks would 192 00:08:20,043 --> 00:08:24,881 walk around this area evenings and weekends. 193 00:08:24,881 --> 00:08:27,654 - The neighborhood itself 194 00:08:27,654 --> 00:08:29,218 was the combat zone. 195 00:08:29,218 --> 00:08:34,175 South Street was predominately gay prostitutes. 196 00:08:34,175 --> 00:08:36,642 The track from South Station 197 00:08:36,642 --> 00:08:38,144 to the New England Medical was 198 00:08:38,144 --> 00:08:39,937 an area that women would walk in 199 00:08:39,937 --> 00:08:42,648 lingerie and high heels and trenchcoats 200 00:08:42,648 --> 00:08:43,858 looking to pick up johns. 201 00:08:43,858 --> 00:08:45,476 The diner had a payphone and they would 202 00:08:45,476 --> 00:08:49,280 come in and call their, their supervisors 203 00:08:50,410 --> 00:08:52,616 to come and pick them up. 204 00:08:52,616 --> 00:08:54,576 And on Sunday nights, their supervisors 205 00:08:54,576 --> 00:08:56,746 would show up in purple suits and feather hats 206 00:08:56,746 --> 00:08:59,322 and canes and full dress regalia. 207 00:08:59,322 --> 00:09:03,878 And it would be the players ball on Sunday nights. 208 00:09:03,878 --> 00:09:07,231 So, finally I realized the easiest way to stop most of this 209 00:09:07,231 --> 00:09:10,427 was to get rid of the payphone. 210 00:09:10,427 --> 00:09:11,594 And then the neighborhood changed 211 00:09:11,594 --> 00:09:16,015 and became more of a, went vacant 212 00:09:16,015 --> 00:09:18,935 and started slowly becoming residential. 213 00:09:18,935 --> 00:09:21,706 And now, we're almost, we started with 50 214 00:09:21,706 --> 00:09:23,139 residents in the neighborhood, 215 00:09:23,139 --> 00:09:26,943 and we have 900 residents in the neighborhood. 216 00:09:30,533 --> 00:09:31,613 - [Voiceover] We know most of the 217 00:09:31,613 --> 00:09:33,816 customers that are going to come in tonight, you know, 218 00:09:33,816 --> 00:09:36,863 and that's a pretty cool thing to have that 219 00:09:36,863 --> 00:09:38,153 that relationship with people. 220 00:09:38,153 --> 00:09:40,456 Like whether you know them personally or not, 221 00:09:40,456 --> 00:09:42,750 like you know them on like, 222 00:09:42,750 --> 00:09:45,044 a customer level, I guess, or like 223 00:09:45,044 --> 00:09:47,088 a business level, but it's like, 224 00:09:47,088 --> 00:09:48,881 it's so nice to see familiar faces 225 00:09:48,881 --> 00:09:51,300 and I think it's important to Boston 226 00:09:51,300 --> 00:09:54,002 since it's such a small city too. 227 00:09:54,002 --> 00:09:55,596 - [Voiceover] I think it's like a landmark, 228 00:09:55,596 --> 00:09:58,433 like it's like, people that have never been here. 229 00:09:58,433 --> 00:09:59,850 You know, like people like "where you work"? 230 00:09:59,850 --> 00:10:01,842 I be like diner on South Street, 231 00:10:01,842 --> 00:10:03,678 and they're like "where is that"? 232 00:10:03,678 --> 00:10:05,148 I'm like, you know, the little hole in the wall 233 00:10:05,148 --> 00:10:06,191 with the teacup up top. 234 00:10:06,191 --> 00:10:08,484 They're like, "yeah!" 235 00:10:08,484 --> 00:10:11,445 So, I think it's just more like a landmark. 236 00:10:11,445 --> 00:10:15,200 - A lot of people think that anybody can open a restaurant, 237 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,203 but it takes an enormous sum of working capital 238 00:10:18,203 --> 00:10:20,288 to carry you through the good times and the bad times. 239 00:10:20,288 --> 00:10:22,665 It's not going to be all good times. 240 00:10:23,855 --> 00:10:27,503 - We was very successful the second, first, second year 241 00:10:27,503 --> 00:10:30,580 and then Harold Realm had this property nextdoor 242 00:10:30,580 --> 00:10:33,342 and he wanted to build another restaurant for us. 243 00:10:33,342 --> 00:10:36,387 And Maggie and Susan who were my 244 00:10:36,387 --> 00:10:37,680 junior partners at the time 245 00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:39,514 really didn't want to expand. 246 00:10:39,514 --> 00:10:41,509 They thought we should leave that alone. 247 00:10:41,509 --> 00:10:45,312 So, I took that opportunity to say, 248 00:10:45,312 --> 00:10:47,565 well, if you're not interested in buying into it now, 249 00:10:47,565 --> 00:10:49,608 then we should part ways. 250 00:10:49,608 --> 00:10:50,859 And we did. 251 00:10:50,859 --> 00:10:54,947 It wasn't happy, but it worked out. 252 00:10:54,947 --> 00:10:56,320 - It was devastating. 253 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:57,408 - It was heart wrenching. 254 00:10:57,408 --> 00:10:58,400 It was tough. 255 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:01,329 That was our, kind of our first love. 256 00:11:01,329 --> 00:11:06,154 And so it, it was something that we had to 257 00:11:08,294 --> 00:11:11,092 do a lot of hard work to kind of 258 00:11:11,092 --> 00:11:12,524 leave behind. 259 00:11:13,824 --> 00:11:16,795 - As the early 90s took it's toll, 260 00:11:16,795 --> 00:11:18,721 a lot of people got in trouble. 261 00:11:18,721 --> 00:11:19,639 And as they got in trouble, 262 00:11:19,639 --> 00:11:21,474 they ate more at home, less restaurants. 263 00:11:21,474 --> 00:11:25,686 A lot of restaurants opened between 86 and 92. 264 00:11:25,686 --> 00:11:28,680 And so Dom ended up having to file for 265 00:11:28,680 --> 00:11:30,818 bankruptcy protection, 266 00:11:30,818 --> 00:11:34,890 and eventually the lease went to another operator. 267 00:11:34,890 --> 00:11:38,949 - I made $220 a week for my personal pocket 268 00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:42,954 for 9 years. 269 00:11:42,954 --> 00:11:44,905 And at the end of that, I found out 270 00:11:44,905 --> 00:11:47,365 that I was a half a million dollars in debt. 271 00:11:47,365 --> 00:11:49,286 And even though I personally didn't do it, 272 00:11:49,286 --> 00:11:52,219 I had managers and bookkeepers and everybody else 273 00:11:52,219 --> 00:11:54,131 that were supposed to pay the bills. 274 00:11:54,131 --> 00:11:56,458 I was stuck, I was depressed. 275 00:11:56,458 --> 00:12:00,346 I was stuck because I considered the 276 00:12:00,346 --> 00:12:03,548 management my friends, family. 277 00:12:03,548 --> 00:12:07,061 I felt that they were 278 00:12:07,061 --> 00:12:09,163 and I had no choice because 279 00:12:09,163 --> 00:12:10,439 I couldn't sell it. 280 00:12:10,439 --> 00:12:11,565 I couldn't close it down. 281 00:12:11,565 --> 00:12:13,108 I couldn't walk away. 282 00:12:13,108 --> 00:12:14,819 I had no choice but to fight. 283 00:12:14,819 --> 00:12:18,781 December 5 of 2005, I wiped out all management. 284 00:12:20,231 --> 00:12:23,911 We made it through because it was 285 00:12:23,911 --> 00:12:26,507 that we were broke. 286 00:12:26,507 --> 00:12:29,750 And I worked on that grill 287 00:12:29,750 --> 00:12:33,455 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, 288 00:12:33,455 --> 00:12:36,592 and finally amassed enough permanent revenue, 289 00:12:36,592 --> 00:12:40,012 I paid them off April of this year. 290 00:12:40,012 --> 00:12:42,639 (rock music) 291 00:12:42,639 --> 00:12:43,807 - [Voiceover] My name is Nez Porter. 292 00:12:43,807 --> 00:12:46,183 I do security at the South Street Diner. 293 00:12:46,183 --> 00:12:48,895 Basically I work here from 12 to 5 in the morning 294 00:12:48,895 --> 00:12:51,356 and I do crowd control. 295 00:12:51,356 --> 00:12:56,356 (rave music) 296 00:13:07,055 --> 00:13:08,874 - [Voiceover] My name is Paul Grant. 297 00:13:08,874 --> 00:13:10,583 I was drafted by the Timberwolves, 298 00:13:10,583 --> 00:13:13,035 Minnesota Timberwolves in 97. 299 00:13:13,035 --> 00:13:13,878 Played a couple years there. 300 00:13:13,878 --> 00:13:15,213 Played with the Milwaukee Bucks 301 00:13:15,213 --> 00:13:17,673 and played with the Utah Jazz. 302 00:13:17,673 --> 00:13:19,591 You know, I'd lived in a lot of different cities, 303 00:13:19,591 --> 00:13:23,804 and it seems like the great cities have 304 00:13:23,804 --> 00:13:26,745 a great, kind of historic diner and 305 00:13:26,745 --> 00:13:28,809 for Boston, this is it. 306 00:13:28,809 --> 00:13:32,104 So, I think it's really important for the, 307 00:13:32,104 --> 00:13:35,023 kind of the history of the city. 308 00:13:35,023 --> 00:13:40,020 You gotta have a good greasy spoon 24 hour diner 309 00:13:40,020 --> 00:13:41,989 that's got some character to it. 310 00:13:41,989 --> 00:13:44,359 And the place is kind of legendary. 311 00:13:44,359 --> 00:13:48,121 There's a lot of films being made here in Boston 312 00:13:48,121 --> 00:13:51,832 and on this street and they always choose 313 00:13:51,832 --> 00:13:54,543 the South Street Diner. 314 00:13:54,543 --> 00:13:58,088 - [Voiceover] It was a movie in the late 80s called 315 00:13:58,088 --> 00:14:00,006 "Hiding Out" with Jon Cryer. 316 00:14:00,006 --> 00:14:02,386 And it was prominently featured in that movie 317 00:14:02,386 --> 00:14:05,881 because he was being chased by some bad people 318 00:14:05,881 --> 00:14:08,824 and he's having a meal at the diner 319 00:14:08,824 --> 00:14:10,935 and all of a sudden, he sees them walk in the diner 320 00:14:10,935 --> 00:14:12,811 at the front door and he bolts through, 321 00:14:12,811 --> 00:14:14,355 crashes through the window of the diner 322 00:14:14,355 --> 00:14:15,722 and lands on the street and runs 323 00:14:15,722 --> 00:14:17,683 and has to hide out. 324 00:14:17,683 --> 00:14:19,652 - The diner's a bigger celebrity than any of the old men 325 00:14:19,652 --> 00:14:20,819 as far as I'm concerned. 326 00:14:20,819 --> 00:14:23,906 And it's bigger than me and bigger than 327 00:14:23,906 --> 00:14:25,407 the biggest celebrity that comes in 328 00:14:25,407 --> 00:14:28,744 because it draws, it keeps drawing people 329 00:14:28,744 --> 00:14:30,413 for years upon years. 330 00:14:30,413 --> 00:14:32,706 - Very democratic diner we were. 331 00:14:32,706 --> 00:14:33,750 We took everybody 332 00:14:33,750 --> 00:14:37,920 and you could see suits and you could see cutoffs. 333 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:40,172 - You know, whether you're rich or you're poor, 334 00:14:40,172 --> 00:14:42,801 you're all treated the same. 335 00:14:42,801 --> 00:14:47,221 I've served Sumner Redstone who owns MTV. 336 00:14:47,221 --> 00:14:50,599 I've served a homeless guy on the corner. 337 00:14:50,599 --> 00:14:53,301 So, it doesn't, you can be rich, 338 00:14:53,301 --> 00:14:54,644 you can be old, you can be young, 339 00:14:54,644 --> 00:14:55,865 you can be 340 00:14:58,015 --> 00:14:59,489 anything in between. 341 00:14:59,489 --> 00:15:00,992 It doesn't matter. 342 00:15:00,992 --> 00:15:02,905 - [Voiceover] It's open 24 hours 343 00:15:02,905 --> 00:15:05,448 and whether you're white or black, 344 00:15:05,448 --> 00:15:06,990 you gotta eat. 345 00:15:06,990 --> 00:15:09,652 - It's so random. 346 00:15:09,652 --> 00:15:11,830 There's no consistency. 347 00:15:11,830 --> 00:15:13,039 You get everybody here. 348 00:15:13,039 --> 00:15:14,247 You get the rich, you get the poor. 349 00:15:14,247 --> 00:15:15,999 You get white, black. 350 00:15:15,999 --> 00:15:17,826 You get hispanic, everything. 351 00:15:17,826 --> 00:15:21,353 You get every mix of everything. 352 00:15:21,353 --> 00:15:23,256 - We just come here, have a good time, 353 00:15:23,256 --> 00:15:25,130 hang out with some, some random folk. 354 00:15:25,130 --> 00:15:26,677 - [Companion] You never know who you're going to meet. 355 00:15:26,677 --> 00:15:28,136 - Yeah, we've never met them before, 356 00:15:28,136 --> 00:15:29,262 but we sat at a table together 357 00:15:29,262 --> 00:15:31,182 because it's yeah. 358 00:15:31,182 --> 00:15:32,924 - We met outside. 359 00:15:32,924 --> 00:15:35,720 They seem like two very nice people. 360 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:37,347 We wanted to share a booth with them. 361 00:15:37,347 --> 00:15:38,304 - We did. 362 00:15:38,304 --> 00:15:39,106 It's South Street Diner. 363 00:15:39,106 --> 00:15:41,024 They bring people together with good food 364 00:15:41,024 --> 00:15:42,527 and good company. 365 00:15:42,527 --> 00:15:44,686 And it's just a great time. 366 00:15:44,686 --> 00:15:45,320 - [Voiceover] Hey yo! 367 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:47,865 It's his birthday right here, yo. 368 00:15:47,865 --> 00:15:49,574 - [Voiceover] Wait, it's my birthday! 369 00:15:49,574 --> 00:15:53,912 - [Crowd] Happy birthday. 370 00:15:55,882 --> 00:16:00,534 ♫ Happy birthday to you ♫ 371 00:16:01,344 --> 00:16:04,299 - [Voiceover] My regulars are my friends. 372 00:16:04,299 --> 00:16:05,926 My friends are my regulars. 373 00:16:05,926 --> 00:16:10,680 It's if they continue to come for a long period of time, 374 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:12,890 some of them become business associates. 375 00:16:12,890 --> 00:16:15,050 some become personal friends. 376 00:16:15,050 --> 00:16:17,395 They're very special. 377 00:16:17,395 --> 00:16:18,855 They're passionate. 378 00:16:18,855 --> 00:16:22,358 They are very passionate. 379 00:16:22,358 --> 00:16:25,770 They love the diner, they love the waitstaff. 380 00:16:25,770 --> 00:16:26,945 You know, and most of the time, 381 00:16:26,945 --> 00:16:29,031 they like me too. 382 00:16:29,031 --> 00:16:31,610 - Everybody here knows me as Chris the Cabbie 383 00:16:31,610 --> 00:16:34,787 or like half the people here just know me as Cabbie. 384 00:16:34,787 --> 00:16:36,736 I'm a real regular. 385 00:16:36,736 --> 00:16:38,039 I'd say three nights a week. 386 00:16:38,039 --> 00:16:39,291 And now during the daytime, 387 00:16:39,291 --> 00:16:41,878 though I'm working, I usually 388 00:16:41,878 --> 00:16:43,370 like I have my little travel mug 389 00:16:43,370 --> 00:16:44,923 while I'm driving my taxi. 390 00:16:44,923 --> 00:16:47,542 So, I'm usually in here like three times a day, 391 00:16:47,542 --> 00:16:49,377 just for a quick, come in get a cup of coffee 392 00:16:49,377 --> 00:16:50,636 and go out. 393 00:16:50,636 --> 00:16:52,179 You know, Boston doesn't have a lot 394 00:16:52,179 --> 00:16:53,758 of places to go after midnight. 395 00:16:53,758 --> 00:16:56,224 When you get off work at four in the morning, 396 00:16:56,224 --> 00:16:57,101 this is it. 397 00:16:57,101 --> 00:17:00,020 So, like I could not have survived driving 398 00:17:00,020 --> 00:17:02,471 20 years on the night shift without this place. 399 00:17:02,471 --> 00:17:04,621 I've lived here forever. 400 00:17:04,621 --> 00:17:07,528 And I was given the official title, 401 00:17:07,528 --> 00:17:09,489 not by the owner but by the cooks 402 00:17:09,489 --> 00:17:11,364 which is more infinitely important 403 00:17:11,364 --> 00:17:15,870 as Official Diner Transportation Director. 404 00:17:15,870 --> 00:17:17,655 Where everybody knows my name. 405 00:17:17,655 --> 00:17:19,572 I'm a life long non-drinker, 406 00:17:19,572 --> 00:17:22,828 so I guess most people have a bar. 407 00:17:22,828 --> 00:17:25,463 This is, I guess, my equivalent of like that. 408 00:17:25,463 --> 00:17:27,756 Like, I don't drink, I don't go to bars. 409 00:17:27,756 --> 00:17:30,416 So, it's important to have a place 410 00:17:30,416 --> 00:17:31,385 where you're comfortable 411 00:17:31,385 --> 00:17:34,013 where it feels like home, you know. 412 00:17:34,013 --> 00:17:36,098 It's an important thing. 413 00:17:36,098 --> 00:17:38,475 - My main thing is I love waffles, 414 00:17:38,475 --> 00:17:40,344 and this is the only place in town 415 00:17:40,344 --> 00:17:41,186 where I get my waffles. 416 00:17:41,186 --> 00:17:44,398 I won't go anywhere else but here to get my waffles. 417 00:17:44,398 --> 00:17:46,066 I'd say it's one of the main hearts of Boston. 418 00:17:46,066 --> 00:17:48,726 Like, if this were gone, it's like a big cult following. 419 00:17:48,726 --> 00:17:51,155 If it was gone, I could see a whole bunch of people, 420 00:17:51,155 --> 00:17:52,907 revolting and making like petitions, 421 00:17:52,907 --> 00:17:55,158 like you know, "this can't close". 422 00:17:55,158 --> 00:17:55,943 They'll do anything in their power 423 00:17:55,943 --> 00:17:58,361 to keep it here, you know? 424 00:17:58,361 --> 00:18:00,529 - [Voiceover] There's a building across the street, 425 00:18:00,529 --> 00:18:01,916 went all apartments. 426 00:18:01,916 --> 00:18:03,626 It used to be all offices, 427 00:18:03,626 --> 00:18:08,338 and one of the new tenants complained about noise. 428 00:18:08,338 --> 00:18:13,239 So, there was actually a licensing board hearing 429 00:18:13,239 --> 00:18:18,098 that like, the diner might have to close at midnight. 430 00:18:18,098 --> 00:18:22,477 - This was one of the greatest moments of the diner. 431 00:18:22,477 --> 00:18:24,814 It was a miracle. 432 00:18:24,814 --> 00:18:29,767 On July 1st to July 7th, over July 4th weekend in Boston 433 00:18:29,767 --> 00:18:32,605 when everybody goes away, 434 00:18:32,605 --> 00:18:37,534 we were able to get one thousand Boston city residents 435 00:18:37,534 --> 00:18:40,037 to sign a petition in the diner. 436 00:18:40,037 --> 00:18:44,575 Fifteen hundred names were signed online. 437 00:18:45,785 --> 00:18:47,421 And on a Tuesday morning in the 438 00:18:47,421 --> 00:18:49,129 middle of the heart of the summer, 439 00:18:49,129 --> 00:18:50,798 at ten o'clock in the morning, 440 00:18:50,798 --> 00:18:54,293 a 150 people showed up in a room 441 00:18:54,293 --> 00:18:56,803 that held about 30 people chanting 442 00:18:56,803 --> 00:18:59,015 "Save South Street Diner!" 443 00:18:59,015 --> 00:19:01,716 - The guy who filed the original complaint 444 00:19:01,716 --> 00:19:02,893 didn't show up. 445 00:19:02,893 --> 00:19:05,563 He wasn't even at the hearing. 446 00:19:05,563 --> 00:19:08,732 One of the Boston city councilors came in 447 00:19:08,732 --> 00:19:12,695 and read a proclamation from Boston City Council 448 00:19:12,695 --> 00:19:16,532 saying what an institution to the city this diner was. 449 00:19:16,532 --> 00:19:18,284 Like, you know, you got to be kidding me, man. 450 00:19:18,284 --> 00:19:20,161 There's no place else like it. 451 00:19:20,161 --> 00:19:23,748 - Each person got up in front of the committee 452 00:19:23,748 --> 00:19:25,993 to explain what the diner meant to them 453 00:19:25,993 --> 00:19:30,993 from a homeless gentleman to a young girl 454 00:19:31,618 --> 00:19:35,968 that was 19 years old that wanted a safe place to go 455 00:19:35,968 --> 00:19:38,804 to other neighborhood residents. 456 00:19:38,804 --> 00:19:40,639 - It was just this big love fest. 457 00:19:40,639 --> 00:19:42,224 It was really nice to see. 458 00:19:42,224 --> 00:19:43,141 It was beautiful, 459 00:19:43,141 --> 00:19:46,342 and it was nice to see Sol get that 460 00:19:46,342 --> 00:19:49,189 kind of official recognition and 461 00:19:49,189 --> 00:19:51,608 get that seal of approval from like, 462 00:19:51,608 --> 00:19:54,111 the whole city came out to support him. 463 00:19:54,111 --> 00:19:56,906 - And as they said things about me, 464 00:19:56,906 --> 00:19:59,506 that I didn't think I was going to see here til my funeral. 465 00:19:59,506 --> 00:20:01,995 You know, honest fill me in that I was 466 00:20:01,995 --> 00:20:04,710 doing the right thing, that I cared about every customer, 467 00:20:04,710 --> 00:20:06,414 that I cared about my food, 468 00:20:06,414 --> 00:20:08,376 that I cared about the neighborhood, 469 00:20:08,376 --> 00:20:09,667 that I reached out and tried to do 470 00:20:09,667 --> 00:20:10,627 the best thing that I could, 471 00:20:10,627 --> 00:20:12,667 that I was always available for 472 00:20:12,667 --> 00:20:14,578 communication to people. 473 00:20:14,578 --> 00:20:17,467 It meant a lot. 474 00:20:17,467 --> 00:20:18,761 And I was in tears 475 00:20:18,761 --> 00:20:22,098 of humbleness. 476 00:20:23,248 --> 00:20:24,850 I guess, I don't know maybe, 477 00:20:24,850 --> 00:20:26,804 is that a word? Humbleism? 478 00:20:26,810 --> 00:20:30,173 So the diner's customers and regulars 479 00:20:30,173 --> 00:20:31,774 saved the diner. 480 00:20:31,774 --> 00:20:33,275 So, I was pretty proud of that day, 481 00:20:33,275 --> 00:20:37,019 and also my father was there at that time, 482 00:20:37,019 --> 00:20:41,325 and I was pretty, and he was pretty proud of me too. 483 00:20:41,325 --> 00:20:45,078 And he got a chance to hear that before he passed away. 484 00:20:45,078 --> 00:20:47,948 He passed away one month later. 485 00:20:47,948 --> 00:20:49,166 So, that was pretty cool 486 00:20:49,166 --> 00:20:52,118 that he succeeded. 487 00:20:57,238 --> 00:20:59,468 - [Voiceover] There's just like an unwritten rule 488 00:20:59,468 --> 00:21:01,638 that it's no man's land. 489 00:21:01,638 --> 00:21:03,504 No matter who you are, 490 00:21:03,504 --> 00:21:05,182 everybody has a right to a burger at 491 00:21:05,182 --> 00:21:06,555 three in the morning. 492 00:21:06,555 --> 00:21:08,477 I've seen like Mark Wahlberg, 493 00:21:08,477 --> 00:21:11,189 and I've seen Richard Dreyfuss 494 00:21:11,189 --> 00:21:13,441 and Celtics players. 495 00:21:13,441 --> 00:21:14,983 And on the other hand, 496 00:21:14,983 --> 00:21:17,529 like the drag queens from Jacques. 497 00:21:17,529 --> 00:21:19,487 Like, a lot of places they can't go 498 00:21:19,487 --> 00:21:21,281 cause people'll give them a rough time 499 00:21:21,281 --> 00:21:23,325 cause they're weird and different, 500 00:21:23,325 --> 00:21:25,535 but in here, they can come in, 501 00:21:25,535 --> 00:21:26,779 get a burger at three in the morning, 502 00:21:26,779 --> 00:21:28,580 an nobody messes with them. 503 00:21:28,580 --> 00:21:31,000 There need to be certain places like that 504 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,836 where no matter what the surrounding 505 00:21:33,836 --> 00:21:36,421 environment's like, this is a place 506 00:21:36,421 --> 00:21:38,966 where anybody can be whoever they are 507 00:21:38,966 --> 00:21:40,884 an nobody's going to mess with them. 508 00:21:40,884 --> 00:21:42,669 And that's a beautiful thing, you know? 509 00:21:42,669 --> 00:21:47,669 (upbeat music) 510 00:21:57,795 --> 00:21:59,653 - One crazy moment... 511 00:21:59,653 --> 00:22:01,938 I had a customer here. 512 00:22:01,938 --> 00:22:04,526 He was a little crazy, but I'm like, 513 00:22:04,526 --> 00:22:06,203 "alright, I'm going to leave him alone." 514 00:22:06,203 --> 00:22:07,869 And I was by myself so I couldn't, 515 00:22:07,869 --> 00:22:09,114 I didn't want to kick him out, 516 00:22:09,114 --> 00:22:10,738 cause I was scared. 517 00:22:10,738 --> 00:22:12,492 And you know, as everyone started coming in, 518 00:22:12,492 --> 00:22:13,961 we're like "alright, he's starting to act" 519 00:22:13,961 --> 00:22:16,461 "crazy and crazier", we're like, "he got to go." 520 00:22:16,461 --> 00:22:18,088 So, right when we was about to kick him out, 521 00:22:18,088 --> 00:22:20,548 he just like ran outside and stole a cab. 522 00:22:20,548 --> 00:22:22,425 I'm like another customer's cab, 523 00:22:22,425 --> 00:22:24,825 and like crashed it up the street. 524 00:22:24,825 --> 00:22:26,471 And then he comes in the next day, 525 00:22:26,471 --> 00:22:28,473 he's like, "hey can I get something?" 526 00:22:28,473 --> 00:22:32,075 I'm like, "oh no" like "you got to go." 527 00:22:33,145 --> 00:22:35,897 - We used to have a lot of like 528 00:22:35,897 --> 00:22:37,566 drag queens come in here and 529 00:22:37,566 --> 00:22:39,068 they performed at Jacques down the road, 530 00:22:39,068 --> 00:22:40,612 and one night, they came in here 531 00:22:40,612 --> 00:22:42,237 and it was just like, wonderful. 532 00:22:42,237 --> 00:22:43,510 And actually, they're pretty like, 533 00:22:43,510 --> 00:22:46,408 big names now, like in the Boston like drag scene 534 00:22:46,408 --> 00:22:48,442 and they were, they put on Madonna, 535 00:22:48,442 --> 00:22:50,412 and they were like singing and dancing 536 00:22:50,412 --> 00:22:51,862 and like going up to all these like 537 00:22:51,862 --> 00:22:53,826 street, like "yeah, dude" and like 538 00:22:53,826 --> 00:22:55,242 everyone was totally like singing along. 539 00:22:55,242 --> 00:22:56,033 It was really funny. 540 00:22:56,033 --> 00:22:58,911 And then some of like our regular like, 541 00:23:00,171 --> 00:23:02,834 detective, like police officers were here eating 542 00:23:02,834 --> 00:23:04,425 and they got up and were like dancing with them 543 00:23:04,425 --> 00:23:05,969 and it was just hilarious. 544 00:23:05,969 --> 00:23:10,015 - I saw one chick fall on her face right there, 545 00:23:10,015 --> 00:23:11,432 and a guy sitting on the stool, 546 00:23:11,432 --> 00:23:14,384 got off the stool and started humping her. 547 00:23:14,384 --> 00:23:17,681 Both wasted out of their minds. 548 00:23:17,681 --> 00:23:19,441 - I had a table of five guys, 549 00:23:19,441 --> 00:23:20,348 came in at four in the morning, 550 00:23:20,348 --> 00:23:21,943 they said they had to get a plane, 551 00:23:21,943 --> 00:23:23,564 so I get their food in and out, 552 00:23:23,564 --> 00:23:24,737 get them out real quick, 553 00:23:24,737 --> 00:23:25,690 and I go to clear the table, 554 00:23:25,690 --> 00:23:27,898 and as I clear the table, I see this little 555 00:23:27,898 --> 00:23:30,494 notepad, just a little doodle pad, 556 00:23:30,494 --> 00:23:32,590 and I started looking through it and just, 557 00:23:32,610 --> 00:23:34,122 it's little doodles of penises. 558 00:23:34,122 --> 00:23:36,541 It's just dick doodles, just nothing, 559 00:23:36,541 --> 00:23:39,461 and I'm just looking through like, "what?" 560 00:23:39,461 --> 00:23:42,380 So, and I show all the other employees, 561 00:23:42,380 --> 00:23:44,249 like "wow, that's really ridiculous." 562 00:23:44,249 --> 00:23:48,511 And then, half hour later, I'm drawing in it, 563 00:23:48,511 --> 00:23:50,221 I'm just like adding my own dick doodle 564 00:23:50,221 --> 00:23:51,890 to the collection cause I'm bored. 565 00:23:51,890 --> 00:23:53,142 It's five am. 566 00:23:53,142 --> 00:23:54,319 The guy comes back and goes, 567 00:23:54,319 --> 00:23:57,647 "hey, I think I left my notepad..." 568 00:23:57,647 --> 00:24:01,182 And I'm like, "Oh this? Here you go." 569 00:24:01,182 --> 00:24:04,570 And like, and people leave wallets. 570 00:24:04,570 --> 00:24:07,064 People leave cell phones. 571 00:24:07,064 --> 00:24:10,659 You can't leave behind a dick doodle book. 572 00:24:10,659 --> 00:24:12,994 - There is the closing sentence to this whole thing. 573 00:24:12,994 --> 00:24:16,216 And it was brought to me by Jimmy Quirk 574 00:24:16,216 --> 00:24:19,209 who was my teacher in baking. 575 00:24:19,209 --> 00:24:22,672 And he goes, "you know, all of this is a good story". 576 00:24:22,672 --> 00:24:25,883 "But not all good stories are true." 577 00:24:25,883 --> 00:24:30,012 So, "don't let the truth get in front of a good story." 578 00:24:30,012 --> 00:24:32,388 That was his sentence exactly. 579 00:24:32,388 --> 00:24:34,048 But, as far as I remember, 580 00:24:34,048 --> 00:24:35,850 this is a true story.