Share a meal and support local

To the editor:

This holiday season, why not consider sharing a meal with neighbors, friends or family and patronize your local diner or restaurant?

For decades, I have enjoyed many excellent meals when frequenting the diners in my area. These local eateries have been part of my life from teenage years to my older age. Eating out is a periodic ritual I participate in with friends or family and the portions are generous. Who never took a doggie bag home with leftovers? Between the customary soup, salad, rolls, coleslaw and pickles along with the main course -- diners satisfy even the heartiest of appetites. Many times, we take our desserts to go.  

Many neighborhoods have seen changes over time and diners have lost customers to numerous fast-food restaurants, with many of their menus expanding to also include breakfast and a variety of items for lunch and dinner.  

Remember, these people are our neighbors. Our local entrepreneurs who own and operate diners have continued to invest in our community by creating new employment opportunities, without the assistance of federally funded taxpayers' stimulus dollars. They work long hours and pay taxes. If we don't patronize our local restaurants, they don't eat either.

Blue Bay Restaurant on Johnson Avenue and Riverdale Diner on Kingsbridge Avenue are just a couple of the adored local eateries contributing to a bygone era.

Why not honor the fond memories we’ve had at our favorite diners by continuing to patronize the ones that remain? Here's hoping they don’t go the way of the dinosaurs into permanent extinction.

Larry Penner