I'm on to you. Yes, you, little trendy breakfast spot by my house where, if I'm lucky, I can get one refill on an unfortunately sour cup of burning hot coffee. You bring me my morning cup in an oversized mug and think that means I won't need a refill? Sigh. I had resolved myself to the idea that this was the norm. I thought asking for a warm-up was just how things were done nowadays, and the automatic refill was a thing of the past. But after eating at more diners than I can count and drinking three times that in cups of black coffee, I can say one thing with confidence (and a jittery hand): There isn't a restaurant around town that couldn't learn a thing or two about coffee service from a local diner. First, it comes steaming hot in the little white ceramic mug that invokes happy memories of every diner you've ever visited. Second, it's the perfect drinking temperature — hot, but cool enough so as not to burn your mouth. Seriously, how do they do that? And after taking a few sips, a waitress is there with a full pot, ready to top me off. It just comes. There's no begging. No tracking down my waiter who suddenly disappears when I reach the bottom of my cup. I don't care if you use imported beans from the farthest regions of the Earth. What good does that do me if I can't get a refill? So thank you, diners, for happily feeding my caffeine addiction for $1.50. And yes, I'd love another cup.
Meet your neighbors and the faces behind some of Cleveland's favorite haunts through the curious camera lens of the Cleveland Public Library's chief of special projects and collections. By John Skrtic
City Officials say by the fall of 2026, the site will be home to a five-story, 250,000-square-foot building with 141 rental units. By Ken Prendergast, NEOtrans
