Bowden residents could have a shiny new nostalgic diner as soon as Christmas this year, said Scott Shaw, who is installing the stainless-steel eatery on the east side of Bowden between the Westwind and Pelican Motels.
“It just depends – we're running late in the year. We'd like to open it before Christmas though,” said Shaw, who began Prairie City Diners in 2008 with Jim Landin of Medallion Structures.
Since Shaw's company (Shaw International) approached Landin's with the request of building the mobile diners Shaw had dreamed up, Prairie City Diners formed, and quickly began building and selling moveable diners that replicate those frequented by working-class people from the 1920s to late 1940s.
Shaw said he anticipates the diner's presence will have a positive effect on the residents of Bowden.
“I saw an opportunity in Bowden to create another place for people to eat at,” said Shaw, adding that he thought Bowden people need more options when it comes to eating out.
Shaw said he thinks his vision of providing a diner for Bowden residents will also have a positive effect on the travellers passing though on Highway II.
The diner will come with traditional vinyl-seated, chrome-plated chairs and stools, checkered floors, though Bowden's diner has a feature unique to Prairie City's other diners, in that it has a separate building behind for its kitchen and drive-through, said Shaw.
The diner's menu will be similar to one of Shaw's other diners, located in the Burnt Lake Business Park in Red Deer called Queen's Diner, which includes a variety of traditional diner fare like burgers and shakes, including breakfast and lunch menu items.
Right now, Shaw said they have yet to come up with a name for the Bowden diner, and are in the process of developing something unique.
So far, the Red Deer entrepreneur's portable diners have been purchased and built in several locales across Alberta, including one Wandering River in Northern Alberta, one in Red Deer (Queen's Diner), and one in Dawson Creek.
There's even one in Minot, North Dakota.
Shaw describes himself as a person given to nostalgia, and he said he hopes with his creations, he'll be able to share the feeling of a bygone era with other people.
