Albert’s
Nick and Margaret Mitchell ran the pub next door – The Victoria. The first catering project in the barn was called “Albert’s”. Why Albert’s? The Victoria (Inn) and ….
Thanks to Margaret Mitchell for sight of this photo.
Nick’s Diner – Nick and Margaret
In 1984, having sold the Victoria Inn, Nick and Margaret decided to concentrate all their efforts on setting up and running a restaurant. Nick had gained experience in design and building a restaurant with Albert’s and now set about reordering the barn as a home for the “Ultimate Burger”. Nick initially had an idea of calling the business “Dick’s Diner” based on his own nickname (no pun intended). The thought of a Cheesy xxx appearing on the menu caused this idea to be dropped fairly quickly. Cheesy Nick sounded much more appetising.
Initially the Diner was run by Nick (front of house) and Margaret (chef). There was some part time assistance from Shirley at busy times. The menus were handwritten by Margaret and the takings from one night were used to pay the bills for the ingredients for the next day. They did very little advertising but nevertheless word started to spread and the number of diners steadily increased. After two years of very hard work, the Diner had established an enviable reputation and was on a firmer footing. To start with they continued to use the tablecloths brought forward from Albert’s, but this created a significant laundry burden. The distinctive disposable placemats printed with the menu were introduced as a labour saving measure. What Nick had described as a “barn in a field” became a packed and popular restaurant. This success was built on Nick’s presence front of house, and the fact that there was nothing else like the Diner for miles around.
At weekends, they would have three sittings with the first starting at 18:00. The Diner worked in tandem with the Victoria Inn which served as their waiting room. The largest number of covers catered for in one evening was 96.
In 2005 Nick and Margaret’s youngest son, Ben, came on board as cook. His fiancée, Becca, joined in 2008. They decided not to continue the restaurant themselves.
Behind the scenes, the Diner served as an invaluable first experience of work for many youngsters in the village and the surrounding area. They would all start at the sink doing washing up. As they gained in confidence and an understanding of the Diner’s business they would progress to waiting at tables.
The interior of the Diner
Thanks to Margaret Mitchell for sight of this photo.
The entrance to the Diner.
The Diner from the road in 2011.
This is a copy of Nick and Margaret’s final menu, signed with comments from well-wishers. On the rear is the following comment:
Thanks to Margaret Mitchell for the loan of the menu.
In total, Nick and Margaret ran the Diner for 27 years. They sold the business in 2011 when they retired to France. Sadly Nick only lived a further two years. Margaret sold up in France and returned to live in Wymondham in 2014.
Nick’s Diner – Craig and Sara
On 18 July 2011 Craig and Sara Armitage purchased the building and the business and ran it successfully for just over 8 years. In this time they also built a 3 bedroom bungalow on the site and moved into this in February 2015.
The final menu
The business and the bungalow were put up for sale in 2017. However, despite an excellent local reputation it failed to attract a buyer and having made the decision to move on from the business in 2017 the doors were closed for the final time on 31st August 2019. Planning permission to turn the commercial element of the site into residential was sought and achieved in February 2020 – just before the pandemic hit. The property has now been completely refurbished into a 5 bedroom residence called Low Barn.
The interior of what used to be Nick’s Diner as it is in September 2022
Many thanks to Margaret Mitchell for information on the early days of the Diner, and to Craig and Sara Armitage for the material relating to their period in charge.
Published: 22/9/22
Last revision: 11/12/22
Deopham History 