Upon entrance the first thing you’ll take note of is the overwhelmingly loud presence of 1950’s rock and roll music, and an excessively chipper wait staff. You’ll find yourself envious of the style of décor that seems ripped off from the movie Grease. This is normal. A large collection of hung-over college students envelop one half of the restaurant and smaller yet prevalent groups of retired war-veterans congregating over a 10 am lager dominate the other half. This 1950’s theme diner called Angel’s has become the popular proving grounds for a large assortment of character’s that never seem to clash or disturb each other in the least.
Let’s start from scratch, shall we? As you ponder entrance into this safe-haven from the worries of the modern world, remember to take the door on the right (the one on the left doesn’t open for reasons no one has figured out yet.) Wipe your feet on the massive, black, fuzzy floor matt with the word Angel’s written on it (this diner is located in Waterdown, Ontario…that’s in Canada – a country frequently experiencing excessively large snow storms to dirty up your shoes.)
This is a busy diner so you may need to wait a few moments for the host to seat you. If this is your first visit to Angel’s and you’re with a friend, comment to them about the absurd amount of corny paintings of Elvis and Ford Thunderbirds, and the rampant, yet scattered presence of old record’s and worn license plates on the walls. The sky blue, maroon red and ghost white paint scheme may also take your mind on a journey of abstraction leading you away from the new millennium.
By this point a host should have noticed you waiting in the doorway and come to take you to your seats. Ask the host if it would be alright for you and your party to be seated at a booth rather than a table, if not because of the sheer comfort factor, than because the booths come equipped with hooks for your large winter coats and your hat (remember, you’re in Canada and you won’t find a single person wearing a hat indoors.)
Now that you’re seated and comfortable, your waiter/waitress should be by shortly to take your order. I like Shannon; she is very nice and helpful. Of course she’ll run through the typical routine of asking for your beverage order first. Don’t be ashamed to order alcohol this early in the morning (if you look around the restaurant you’ll likely see others sharing a laugh over a late morning, frosty glass.) Next comes the food order, and I strongly recommend the breakfast special because the clock fails to read noon yet. With this order you’ll get two eggs any style, bacon, ham or sausage, toast and home fries for less than $4. I mean come on, that’s just awesome.
Now that you’ve placed your order, it’s time for a bit more observation of your surroundings and a generous portion of people watching. By now you’ll notice some more details of the restaurant that really help take you further into the 1950’s, such as more pictures of people like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. Also, if you wore a leather jacket then prepare to pop its collar and stroll on over to the jukebox - Fonzie style - to select the next catchy jingle. Management says the loud music is a strong part of the atmosphere and they strongly discourage customers from lowering the volume.
Now that you’ve got a good feel for the restaurant and have accepted its style of decoration, you’ll want to look around at the other guests to see which types of people are frequenting the diner at the time. Typically, you’ve got your hung-over college students attempting to assemble a story of events that took place the night before and elderly citizens laughing and reminiscing over a morning brew. In-between these two groups, you’ll find large amounts of middle class urban families out for morning brunch (kids eat free Monday through Thursday.)
“I know you don’t visit Canada often, and because this is your first visit to Angel’s, I’ve got to share the greatness of the breakfast special with you. It’s nothing but fried grease and fat that will work its way through your body and cure anything that ails you.”
“Guess I’m going with that then. Hey, did you notice that it’s only like 10 am and the old guys next to us just ordered some high-class beer called Alexander Keith’s.”
“Yeah you’re gonna see a lot of that here. It’s funny because if you include us, about half of this restaurant is hung-over. The college students sitting over there and the probably underage high-school kids sitting over there won’t want to see another beer for quite some time and right next to us are elderly citizens cracking a fresh beer. Take a look now, Ross. The old guys are having a toast and no one else in the diner is fazed by it. Welcome to Angel’s.”
As you wait for your meal to arrive you should realize that you will not find any tension amongst the patrons of the restaurant. The parents of many rambunctious children shouldn’t mind the excessive cursing and lewd stories of the college-students. On a similar note, the elderly citizens won’t become annoyed with the loud children that often run rampant throughout the restaurant. The customers that frequently visit the restaurant understand the diversity amongst the groups and won’t say a word to one another. Quiet acceptance.
Your food should arrive shortly and I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed with the breakfast special. Comment to your party on the quality of your food and that you simply cannot believe how little you paid for it. Expect your waitress to stop by frequently to ensure that you are having an exquisite dining experience (you’ll also want to comment to your party that you should leave the waitress a nice tip.) Enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the restaurant and take note that all the employees seem more than happy to talk with you on just about any subject. Some of my favorite topics include the weather, the Angel’s dining experience, the Dow Jones Industrial Stock Exchange, and any interesting events that took place over the weekend.
By now you’re probably about ready to leave the restaurant. If you need to use the restroom before your exit then be careful because the tiling on the hallway leading up to it is always slippery, no matter how dry it looks. If you were sitting in a booth, then remember to pick up your hat on the way out, but do not to place it back on your head until you have fully embraced the cold outside the door that leads you back into the heart of Waterdown, Ontario.
p.s. You’re going to smell like Angel’s for a week.
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