The Jukebox Diner finds new home in Exeter: Time to 'open this beauty up and get cooking'

EXETER — The Jukebox Diner has found a new spot in Exeter, one that owners Mike and Stephanie Oliveira said would be the food truck’s “permanent” home.

The Oliveiras took to Facebook to announce their 1950s-themed diner-on-wheels will be open from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at 103 Epping Road. The spot is next to Service Credit Union and in front of the bus company.

"Michael and I are excited to announce that we are good to go to open this beauty up and get cooking," the Facebook post reads. “Thank you to all that have welcomed us and shown us so much excitement for our location. It’s a busy area so we are grateful for the opportunity to serve many of you!”

The Oliveiras, who founded and later sold Donut Love, announced the new business venture in March. Initially, the couple was going to set up their food trailer near the Exeter bandstand, but they decided to withdraw their bid with the town so that Clyde’s Cupcakes could remain at that location.

Elliott Berkowitz, who owns the 1.5-acre space that Jukebox Diner will be operating on, said he reached out to the Oliveiras after he heard they withdrew their bid for the downtown spot.

He said he wanted “to do something for a friend.”

Berkowitz said he first met the Oliveiras when he rented out his building at 113 Water Street for their then Donut Love location.

“I just wish them lots of luck, and I’m sure they’re going to do very well,” said Berkowitz.

Aside from needing approval for gas and propane tank installation, Doug Eastman, the town's code enforcement officer, said the Oliveiras did not require any additional permit to operate the food truck as its on private property.

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What's on the menu at The Jukebox Diner?

The diner on wheels will offer breakfast staples such as cinnamon rolls and homemade doughnuts to lunch food such as chicken tenders and black bean burgers. Its menu also features milkshakes and floats for a quick treat or to end your meal on a sweet note.

The Oliveiras did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

However, the couple announced on social media that the Jukebox Diner’s hours of operation will be posted every Sunday on their Facebook page. The couple shared the schedule will be "less consistent” at first but the goal is to be open five days a week by June.

Mike Oliveira previously said the new business venture was extra special because he and his wife thought of the idea together. They both have a love for diners and “all things 1950s.” When they first started dating, they even talked about one day opening their own “retro 1950s diner-type restaurant.”

The Jukebox Diner, they said, is a dream come true.

In a Facebook post, they said “Our hope is that when you come and visit, you’ll feel the nostalgia of a bygone era and be transported back into the golden age of rock n roll, poodle skirts and classic Americana. The checkerboard patterns, neon lights, vintage memorabilia, and music will capture the essences of the 1950s diner experience.”

“We love that era,” Mike Oliveira said previously. “We kind of joke all the time, we should have been born during those times.”

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: The Jukebox Diner rolls into its ‘permanent’ home in Exeter