Donna Jean's becomes Weirs Diner - our first visit

rickzach · 05-20-2017, 01:28 PM

Donna Jean's becomes Weirs Diner - our first visit was today.

We've been going to Donna Jean's and other very good breakfast places for decades now. We are also full-time residents. so we like to try them all.

Under the new owners:

Positive: The new docks are excellent and a huge improvement!
Positive: The outside seems to be in a clean-up process
Positive: They are open!
Positive: Moderate prices
Positive: Our server was quick, friendly

Needs work: Fit , finish, presence, image, first impressions. To some people this is of little importance but to me these characteristics define what the owners are thinking... and this goes for any company no matter what they do. Our first impressions were that the drive-by sign displayed no character. In fact it reminded me of a cartoon where the only sign was a neon thing that said "EAT" where the A buzzed and flashed. When we were going inside, the windows had little in them to suggest that they were open or even suggested a welcome. The only thing that we noticed viewing through the window were the tubs for dirty dishes. Once we sat down, the placemats were the previous Donna Jean's placements turned white side up. To me this was screaming to expect that some corners were being cut. The inside decor was lacking some hard-to-describe sense of "welcome", etc. It was somehow bland but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Needs work: The food. I ordered my usual basic breakfast of three eggs over easy, bacon, etc. The eggs were fine but the bacon was cold and very mushy. My wife ordered the waffles and she thought that they were thin and too mushy inside.

We came into our first visit under the new owners with anticipation of a new experience but it just wasn't there.

At the other extreme for breakfast is "Kitchen Kravings" with superior food and a fantastic atmosphere but at a slightly higher pricepoint. Some places in the middle are "The Union Diner", "Georges", "Ames Farm Inn" and "Our Place" which are basic breakfast places that deliver the goods time after time. Less so with "Country Cook'n" in Gilford (many times a surly waitstaff, one time with a green fly in my omelet).

My guess is that the new owners of the former Donna Jean's are new to the diner business because they just skipped the important dining magic of what keeps customers coming back. And many other diners have figured that out early in the game.

The waterfront location is very unique so no matter what, many boating customers will come for a first visit. But if the non-descript front and rear signage is a flag as to how the new owners apply their craft, my guess is they they need to take a closer look at how others ply their trade.

But thank you for the new docks!

camp guy · 05-20-2017, 03:12 PM

Not passing any judgement on the post by rickzack , I would, however, suggest that the new owners of Weirs Diner keep a close eye on the posts describing a visit to the Diner. Several other restaurants in the Lakes region have done this and it generally works in their favor, This is not to say all posters are 100% accurate, but some are very specific about certain problems needing attention.

I wish them the best of luck.

Hillcountry · 05-20-2017, 08:33 PM

As was discussed in a previous post about DJ's Diner's new owners, they are, in fact, restaurant owners that operate local businesses already.
No excuses for the seemingly, poor service and food in this new venture.

StardogChampion · 05-25-2017, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickzach

At the other extreme for breakfast is "Kitchen Kravings" with superior food and a fantastic atmosphere but at a slightly higher pricepoint. Some places in the middle are "The Union Diner", "Georges", "Ames Farm Inn" and "Our Place" which are basic breakfast places that deliver the goods time after time. Less so with "Country Cook'n" in Gilford (many times a surly waitstaff, one time with a green fly in my omelet).

Spot on in my experience. Thanks for the review.

rickzach · 06-13-2017, 09:10 AM

Like I said, the signage reflects the thought process and quality commitment of the owners. Does this high quality bike week sign reflect the quality of the food inside?

sum-r breeze · 06-14-2017, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickzach

Like I said, the signage reflects the thought process and quality commitment of the owners. Does this high quality bike week sign reflect the quality of the food inside?

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Matching sign lettering isn't very expensive and would GREATLY improve that first impression. It's a small thing but image matters!

The Breeze
Wave 'cuz I'll be wavin' back

SIKSUKR · 06-15-2017, 12:48 PM

Jeez, it sure looks like the letter fell off since there is a space. Tough crowd.

rickzach · 06-15-2017, 02:13 PM

Not a tough crowd, both sides were IDENTICAL. They were just too cheap to buy the letters.

rander7823 · 06-15-2017, 03:25 PM

Maybe they are selling cocktails for a penny?

JADAQ · 07-05-2017, 06:21 PM

We had a late breakfast/lunch here a few weeks ago. The food was really good and the service was as well.

Only thing I could suggest is having a kids menu, I don't have a big eater so ordering off the regular menu for her was tough and she didn't finish what we got her.

Place looks great, keep up the good work!!

Outdoorsman · 07-05-2017, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weirsdiner2017

Seems to me like you people just have nothing nice to say about anything as the owner of the restaurant I sincerely apologize for any mishaps this is our first Adventure in a place that's this crazy all summer long as you can see we are trying with the new improvements or sorry that the inside of the building isn't up to your party yet but next year is another year and we will continue to make it better as the years go by I'm sorry to say that people like you need to really get a life we've done more with that restaurant diner in the last 5 months then Donna Jean didn't last 14 years I thank you for your business and your comments will be taken to Heart and hopefully we can win you back hope you all enjoy the summer I think the big problem in the whole Weirs area has helped it's hard to find a cook that isn't on drugs or waitress that wants to work but we'll do our best that's a promise

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weirsdiner2017
From what I have read in this thread, exactly 1 person has given a review that was less than positive and the other just made a simple suggestion. Personally, I found it to be quite harsh and a bit nit-picky, but that's just me.

What I believe you will find on this particular forum is that the majority of people will take the reviews "for what it is worth"... meaning that those that create an account to bash a restaurant will not get much of a response. Those that complain about every restaurant in the area besides one or two, will not get much of a response. Those that trash a restaurant on opening day/week will not get much of a response.

May I suggest you remove your negative comments on this board to eliminate the negative responses it will surely bring?

I look forward to visiting your restaurant when I am in the area the last week of July.

wifi · 07-06-2017, 03:35 AM

Hmmm, funny, I didn't take his comments as negative at all !

Hillcountry · 07-06-2017, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wifi

Hmmm, funny, I didn't take his comments as negative at all !

But his run-on sentence was utterly, intolerable!

radiocontester · 07-06-2017, 06:58 PM

Hard to believe a business owner with that many years of experience would tell a patron to "get a life" on a public forum. Regardless of how you feel about the situation you have two choices. 1) Embrace the feedback or 2) React the way they did. Such a shame.

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Doobs41378 · 07-07-2017, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by radiocontester

Hard to believe a business owner with that many years of experience would tell a patron to "get a life" on a public forum. Regardless of how you feel about the situation you have two choices. 1) Embrace the feedback or 2) React the way they did. Such a shame.

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk

Agree with this. Does not show much professionalism. We know you cannot make everybody happy but it is how you react to critics that show your true colors.

joey2665 · 07-07-2017, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weirsdiner2017

Seems to me like you people just have nothing nice to say about anything as the owner of the restaurant I sincerely apologize for any mishaps this is our first Adventure in a place that's this crazy all summer long as you can see we are trying with the new improvements or sorry that the inside of the building isn't up to your party yet but next year is another year and we will continue to make it better as the years go by I'm sorry to say that people like you need to really get a life we've done more with that restaurant diner in the last 5 months then Donna Jean didn't last 14 years I thank you for your business and your comments will be taken to Heart and hopefully we can win you back hope you all enjoy the summer I think the big problem in the whole Weirs area has helped it's hard to find a cook that isn't on drugs or waitress that wants to work but we'll do our best that's a promise

Sent from my SM-G930V using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

This post has completely put me off. There are plenty of other very good breakfast places around the lake such as the Union Diner, Nothin Fancy, Kitchen Cravings, Water Street Cafe ect no need for me to try this establishment especially with the above comments

HellRaZoR004 · 07-07-2017, 08:42 AM

How do we know that's the owner and not some random person trying to bash the place?

radiocontester · 07-07-2017, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HellRaZoR004

How do we know that's the owner and not some random person trying to bash the place?

It's possible, but they opened a weirsdiner2017 user account last April, one month before this thread started.

SteveO123 · 07-07-2017, 07:39 PM

This place will occupy the bottom of my list based on that post...there are plenty of others ahead of this place. Good luck though.

Outdoorsman · 07-10-2017, 06:00 PM

I am not at all surprised to find out that this restaurant is owned by the same people that own "The Eggshell" in Loudon. The apple does not fall far from the tree, does it?

Taz · 07-18-2017, 09:51 AM

This is owned by the same owners as Eggshell? Eggshell owners also used to own Circle Diner in Epsom and (forget name) it was across from Margate under the condos and moved to the newer Waldo Peppers across from Walmart. Not sure if those 3 are still the same owners. Circle used to be great, before moving to the newer Waldo's, the one across from Margate was great but when they moved went downhill and never went back.

upthesaukee · 07-18-2017, 11:45 AM

They are the same owners. If we happen to be going to Concord, we often stopped at cooking at the Circle in Epsom. After golfing at Canterbury Woods, we often stopped at the eggshell in Loudon. And we often eat at cooking at the lakeside across from Walmart. None of those three are fine dining but we always find the food to be good and inexpensive. We also have had good service. Guess this is why they make Chevys Fords and Dodges.

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Reilly · 07-19-2017, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

They are the same owners. If we happen to be going to Concord, we often stopped at cooking at the Circle in Epsom. After golfing at Canterbury Woods, we often stopped at the eggshell in Loudon. And we often eat at cooking at the lakeside across from Walmart. None of those three are fine dining but we always find the food to be good and inexpensive. We also have had good service. Guess this is why they make Chevys Fords and Dodges.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

I agree with everything except l didn't realize they made vehicles without Bow Tie's 😊😊

sledneck · 08-01-2017, 09:28 PM

I had a fantastic ham and cheese omelet this past Saturday. First time in there since the new owners took over. No wait at all and service was decent. I'll be back.

NHHomestyleEats2018 · 03-14-2018, 04:14 PM

Hi all! First off- The post above was not by anyone who represents The Weirs Diner. I did just make an account here to clear that up. I want to apologize for any confusion.

Second- I want to say thank you for so many of the positives hilighed above! We purchased the restaurant (not the name) last spring and crunched to get open for you all in time for summer season! We certainly did not have time to do any updates, so we are happy to have had this winter time to do some catching up! We have spent all winter fixing up the location because there were many things that had not been updated (decor and safety-wise) for many years. You will see some shiny new fixtures, but we promised Donna Jean to continue her passion of cooking homestyle food at affordable prices so that won’t change. We did fix the sinking dock and there will be some other fun surprises so stay tuned!!
Feel free to contact The Weirs Diner on our official Facebook page. See you this April!

Hillcountry · 03-14-2018, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NHHomestyleEats2018

Hi all! First off- The post above was not by anyone who represents The Weirs Diner. I did just make an account here to clear that up. I want to apologize for any confusion.

Second- I want to say thank you for so many of the positives hilighed above! We purchased the restaurant (not the name) last spring and crunched to get open for you all in time for summer season! We certainly did not have time to do any updates, so we are happy to have had this winter time to do some catching up! We have spent all winter fixing up the location because there were many things that had not been updated (decor and safety-wise) for many years. You will see some shiny new fixtures, but we promised Donna Jean to continue her passion of cooking homestyle food at affordable prices so that won’t change. We did fix the sinking dock and there will be some other fun surprises so stay tuned!!
Feel free to contact The Weirs Diner on our official Facebook page. See you this April!

Good luck and here’s to a great 2018 season. We’re keeping our boat right across from you at the new WOW marina (Winnisquam on Winnipesaukee) so I expect to be using up some of that dock space for breakfast!
Question: if you have outdoor seating would we be able to bring our well behaved dog to a table outside? Otherwise we have to tie her up and leave her on the boat. Thanks!

Patofnaud · 03-15-2018, 08:44 AM

I am also at Channel, err WoW, for the last handful of years and DJ's was our morning stop. THANK YOU for the new docks!

In the 2016 season toward the end of the season the docks so bad I had to nose in, disembark to lighten the load to pull the boat sideways against the rocks, toss out a ton of fenders, not fun, only doable in a 'toon a fiberglass hull would be too deep and tore out.. We ended up more than once going to Georges in Merideth and walking it from the town docks and blowing off DJ's because of that.

I think all season I drove to DJs in a car was maybe twice, the rest was all from the docks.

05-20-2017, 01:28 PM	#1
rickzach Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Gilford, NH Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 1 Post	Donna Jean's becomes Weirs Diner - our first visit Donna Jean's becomes Weirs Diner - our first visit was today. We've been going to Donna Jean's and other very good breakfast places for decades now. We are also full-time residents. so we like to try them all. Under the new owners: Positive: The new docks are excellent and a huge improvement! Positive: The outside seems to be in a clean-up process Positive: They are open! Positive: Moderate prices Positive: Our server was quick, friendly Needs work: Fit , finish, presence, image, first impressions. To some people this is of little importance but to me these characteristics define what the owners are thinking... and this goes for any company no matter what they do. Our first impressions were that the drive-by sign displayed no character. In fact it reminded me of a cartoon where the only sign was a neon thing that said "EAT" where the A buzzed and flashed. When we were going inside, the windows had little in them to suggest that they were open or even suggested a welcome. The only thing that we noticed viewing through the window were the tubs for dirty dishes. Once we sat down, the placemats were the previous Donna Jean's placements turned white side up. To me this was screaming to expect that some corners were being cut. The inside decor was lacking some hard-to-describe sense of "welcome", etc. It was somehow bland but I couldn't put my finger on it. Needs work: The food. I ordered my usual basic breakfast of three eggs over easy, bacon, etc. The eggs were fine but the bacon was cold and very mushy. My wife ordered the waffles and she thought that they were thin and too mushy inside. We came into our first visit under the new owners with anticipation of a new experience but it just wasn't there. At the other extreme for breakfast is "Kitchen Kravings" with superior food and a fantastic atmosphere but at a slightly higher pricepoint. Some places in the middle are "The Union Diner", "Georges", "Ames Farm Inn" and "Our Place" which are basic breakfast places that deliver the goods time after time. Less so with "Country Cook'n" in Gilford (many times a surly waitstaff, one time with a green fly in my omelet). My guess is that the new owners of the former Donna Jean's are new to the diner business because they just skipped the important dining magic of what keeps customers coming back. And many other diners have figured that out early in the game. The waterfront location is very unique so no matter what, many boating customers will come for a first visit. But if the non-descript front and rear signage is a flag as to how the new owners apply their craft, my guess is they they need to take a closer look at how others ply their trade. But thank you for the new docks! Attached Images Last edited by rickzach; 05-20-2017 at 07:59 PM. Reason: change picture

05-20-2017, 03:12 PM	#2
camp guy Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: formerly Winter Harbor, still Wolfeboro Posts: 1,181 Thanks: 299 Thanked 525 Times in 293 Posts	Weirs Diner Not passing any judgement on the post by rickzack , I would, however, suggest that the new owners of Weirs Diner keep a close eye on the posts describing a visit to the Diner. Several other restaurants in the Lakes region have done this and it generally works in their favor, This is not to say all posters are 100% accurate, but some are very specific about certain problems needing attention. I wish them the best of luck.

06-13-2017, 09:10 AM	#5
rickzach Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Gilford, NH Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 1 Post	A classy place... Like I said, the signage reflects the thought process and quality commitment of the owners. Does this high quality bike week sign reflect the quality of the food inside? Attached Images

06-15-2017, 12:48 PM	#7
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	Jeez, it sure looks like the letter fell off since there is a space. Tough crowd. __________________ SIKSUKR

06-15-2017, 02:13 PM	#8
rickzach Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Gilford, NH Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 1 Post	Sign Not a tough crowd, both sides were IDENTICAL. They were just too cheap to buy the letters.

05-20-2017, 08:33 PM	#3
Hillcountry Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: In the hills Posts: 2,420 Thanks: 1,677 Thanked 786 Times in 466 Posts	As was discussed in a previous post about DJ's Diner's new owners, they are, in fact, restaurant owners that operate local businesses already. No excuses for the seemingly, poor service and food in this new venture.

06-15-2017, 03:25 PM	#9
rander7823 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 303 Thanks: 549 Thanked 40 Times in 24 Posts	Some Happy Hour Maybe they are selling cocktails for a penny?

07-05-2017, 06:21 PM	#10
JADAQ Senior Member Join Date: May 2016 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 198 Thanks: 4 Thanked 66 Times in 43 Posts	We had a late breakfast/lunch here a few weeks ago. The food was really good and the service was as well. Only thing I could suggest is having a kids menu, I don't have a big eater so ordering off the regular menu for her was tough and she didn't finish what we got her. Place looks great, keep up the good work!!

07-06-2017, 03:35 AM	#12
wifi Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Lakes Region Posts: 1,321 Thanks: 282 Thanked 287 Times in 169 Posts	Hmmm, funny, I didn't take his comments as negative at all !

07-06-2017, 06:58 PM	#14
radiocontester Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southern NH Posts: 155 Thanks: 36 Thanked 37 Times in 20 Posts	Hard to believe a business owner with that many years of experience would tell a patron to "get a life" on a public forum. Regardless of how you feel about the situation you have two choices. 1) Embrace the feedback or 2) React the way they did. Such a shame. Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk __________________ Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/radiocontester

07-07-2017, 08:42 AM	#17
HellRaZoR004 Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Litchfield/Gilford Posts: 828 Thanks: 233 Thanked 224 Times in 131 Posts	How do we know that's the owner and not some random person trying to bash the place?

07-07-2017, 07:39 PM	#19
SteveO123 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Laconia, Lake Opechee Posts: 187 Thanks: 286 Thanked 90 Times in 48 Posts	This place will occupy the bottom of my list based on that post...there are plenty of others ahead of this place. Good luck though.

07-10-2017, 06:00 PM	#20
Outdoorsman Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 831 Thanks: 114 Thanked 210 Times in 132 Posts	I am not at all surprised to find out that this restaurant is owned by the same people that own "The Eggshell" in Loudon. The apple does not fall far from the tree, does it?

07-18-2017, 09:51 AM	#21
Taz Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 346 Thanks: 3 Thanked 70 Times in 47 Posts	Weirs diner This is owned by the same owners as Eggshell? Eggshell owners also used to own Circle Diner in Epsom and (forget name) it was across from Margate under the condos and moved to the newer Waldo Peppers across from Walmart. Not sure if those 3 are still the same owners. Circle used to be great, before moving to the newer Waldo's, the one across from Margate was great but when they moved went downhill and never went back.

07-18-2017, 11:45 AM	#22
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,596 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,453 Thanked 1,979 Times in 1,080 Posts	They are the same owners. If we happen to be going to Concord, we often stopped at cooking at the Circle in Epsom. After golfing at Canterbury Woods, we often stopped at the eggshell in Loudon. And we often eat at cooking at the lakeside across from Walmart. None of those three are fine dining but we always find the food to be good and inexpensive. We also have had good service. Guess this is why they make Chevys Fords and Dodges. Sent from my SM-G930V using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

08-01-2017, 09:28 PM	#24
sledneck Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 31 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts	I had a fantastic ham and cheese omelet this past Saturday. First time in there since the new owners took over. No wait at all and service was decent. I'll be back.

03-14-2018, 04:14 PM	#25
NHHomestyleEats2018 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hi all! From the real Weirs Diner. Hi all! First off- The post above was not by anyone who represents The Weirs Diner. I did just make an account here to clear that up. I want to apologize for any confusion. Second- I want to say thank you for so many of the positives hilighed above! We purchased the restaurant (not the name) last spring and crunched to get open for you all in time for summer season! We certainly did not have time to do any updates, so we are happy to have had this winter time to do some catching up! We have spent all winter fixing up the location because there were many things that had not been updated (decor and safety-wise) for many years. You will see some shiny new fixtures, but we promised Donna Jean to continue her passion of cooking homestyle food at affordable prices so that won’t change. We did fix the sinking dock and there will be some other fun surprises so stay tuned!! Feel free to contact The Weirs Diner on our official Facebook page. See you this April!

03-15-2018, 08:44 AM	#27
Patofnaud Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Tilton/Paugus Bay Posts: 239 Thanks: 13 Thanked 64 Times in 45 Posts	second that... I am also at Channel, err WoW, for the last handful of years and DJ's was our morning stop. THANK YOU for the new docks! In the 2016 season toward the end of the season the docks so bad I had to nose in, disembark to lighten the load to pull the boat sideways against the rocks, toss out a ton of fenders, not fun, only doable in a 'toon a fiberglass hull would be too deep and tore out.. We ended up more than once going to Georges in Merideth and walking it from the town docks and blowing off DJ's because of that. I think all season I drove to DJs in a car was maybe twice, the rest was all from the docks.