August 18, 1999  Gazette.Net
Tastee Diner will expand after relocation this fall
by Liz M. Zylwitis
Staff Writer
The Montgomery County Planning Board approved a plan recently to expand the Tastee Diner after it is moved from the Silver Triangle on Georgia Avenue to the parking lot on Ramsey Avenue a few blocks north.
The 1946 converted dining car diner, which now seats 70, will have room for 270 patrons in addition to a nearly full basement and a 10-car parking lot separating it from its new neighbor, Mi Rancho restaurant.
The historic dining car, which has been in Silver Spring since the 1940s, will be used as an entrance and lobby to the new diner.
"I have visited the site to make sure there are not any problems and have not seen any," owner Gene Wilkes said. "It seems like a good site to me."
The diner will be moved in October by Montgomery County government on Wilkes' behalf to make way for the Discovery Communications headquarters on its current site.
At the new location, Wilkes' establishment will join a cluster of restaurants served by the Cameron Street parking garage, where 85 new short-term spaces will be opened in preparation for the move. The proposal approved Aug. 5 permits an expansion of the diner in keeping with its original art-deco style.
Wilkes took over the eatery when he bought the registered Tastee Diner trademark in 1988. In addition to the Silver Spring location, Wilkes operates two others in Bethesda and Laurel.
One benefit of the new location is that it is within easy walking distance of many offices, Wilkes said.
"We are going to a new market a short walk from the Metro. In our Bethesda and Laurel locations, we serve a lot of customers on their way home from entertainment destinations, like Georgetown," he said. "We expect the same thing to happen in Silver Spring. We will be the last stop people make on their way home."
Jose Alvarez, manager of Mi Rancho, is concerned that the diner's homeless patrons will follow the diner when it moves.
"We worry a great deal about the move, because that type of business attracts a lot of homeless people," he said. "Our customers are scared to see people like that on the street late at night."
Wilkes does not believe that Alvarez's concerns are valid.
"The homeless people who come to our current location do not come there for dining," Wilkes said. "They come for a place to come in out of the cold, and we do not al

ways tolerate that. Frankly, I believe the owners of the other restaurants in that block are concerned about the loss of parking and have decided to throw any mud on the wall they can find."
Lucy Yee, owner of Shanghai Restaurant, said the Tastee Diner is a welcome addition to the revitalization already under way in her block.
Eakin/Yougentrab Associates Inc. is building 57 high-density, three-bedroom townhouses along Cameron Street and Second Avenue. Approximately 125 new residents are expected to move to these townhouses once construction is complete. The townhouse project includes streetscaping along the south side of Cameron Street and along the east side of Second Avenue.
County officials hope the newcomers will make the area more lively in the evening.
Outdoors, the diner will provide seating along the north and west facades facing the street. This part of the site is reserved for the 10 percent public use that is required under the standard method of development in the county's central business district zones.
Brick sidewalks in front of the Tastee Diner will feature oversized street trees. The county has received a transit station area development grant from the Maryland Transit Authority to help pay for streetscape and parking lot improvements around the site.
In compliance with this grant, the Silver Spring Regional Center recommends the incorporation of a transit ticket and information center into the building. It also supports making improvements to the Cameron Street garage designed to make it safe and attractive to people looking for a place to park.
Shanghai's Yee said the county's response to her concerns about the need for additional parking has been minimal so far. She hopes the county will act more promptly to alleviate the problem now that a second construction project is on the way.
Alvarez of Mi Rancho agreed more parking is needed.
"Parking could be another problem," he said. "It is really bad for us already. This will make it even worse. Our patrons use the Cameron Street garage, but sometimes it fills up early.
"Otherwise, the diner is going to help. It will be good to have more traffic. I think opening new spaces in the garage would help."

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