New owners of the Blue Moon Diner keeping it all in the family

GARDNER — The new owners of the Blue Moon Diner are excited to continue the iconic downtown eatery’s legacy of great food and nostalgic décor that has made it a favorite local breakfast and lunch destination for decades.

Robert and Kathleen Wright of Orange took over operations at the diner on Thursday, Sept. 8, following the retirement of Jamie Floyd, who owned and operated the restaurant for the last 22 years. The Wrights purchased the diner from Floyd for $290,000.

Kathleen said she was looking forward to the experience of operating the Blue Moon Diner.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new customers, making new friends, getting to know the city, and enjoying the atmosphere that makes the diner feel like an extended family,” she said.

For the Wrights, running a local diner with a proven success record and an established following of loyal customers was an opportunity too good to pass up.

“My husband and I sold our home on the Cape and we decided that we’d like to do a change of careers, and this is kind of our retirement plan – our future retirement plan,” Kathleen said. “We were attracted by the nostalgia of the diner itself.”

Robert, who had previously worked in construction, said the couple had been searching for a while for a restaurant to purchase and when they first encountered the Blue Moon Diner, they knew they had found the perfect place.

“Once we saw it, we knew it was the one we wanted,” he said.

Changing hands: 'Bittersweet' last day for owner Jamie Floyd as Blue Moon Diner is sold

Although running a restaurant would be a new experience for Kathleen, her husband will be bringing his previous experience as a line cook to the diner. He also studied culinary arts in high school. But they both had a passion for food, according to Robert.

“My wife and I, we both love to cook,” he said. “I’m looking forward to express creativity through food, and filling people’s bellies and making happy memories.”

The couple had gotten to know many of the diner’s regular customers as they trained with Floyd over the past few months in preparation of taking over the business, according to Kathleen. She said not many of the customers knew that they were speaking to the diner’s future owners.

“Jamie told some of them up front, but most of them didn’t know until this past week,” she explained, adding that she and her husband were grateful to Floyd for sharing her knowledge and passion as the diner’s new owners trained to run the establishment. “She’s a wonderful person and a beautiful soul.”

Robert said he was grateful for the warm reception he and his wife had received from the diner’s regular customers.

“Everybody who’s come and has been told that we were taking over has been very welcoming, everybody’s been really nice,” he said.

Background: Once in a Blue Moon: Iconic Gardner eatery is (gasp!) for sale

Although the new owners plan on keeping the breakfast-and-lunch eatery just as it is for the most part, Kathleen said she and her husband did have some new ideas they were looking forward to implementing.

“There will be some new things on the menu, some new specials,” she said.

The Wrights will retain the restaurant’s current employees, and, like Floyd before them, were planning on recruiting some of their own family members to help with the operation.

“My mother will be coming on board and our oldest daughter will be coming on board, along with her boyfriend,” Kathleen said. “So our family will be involved as well.”

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: New owners of Blue Moon Diner to continue iconic eatery's legacy