Lake Superior Magazine / October-November 2003

As Todd and Nina Bucher’s Delta Diner approaches its three-year anniversary in November, it’s clear that this is no ordinary greasy spoon.

It’s the result of the couple pursuing Todd’s dream of opening a classic diner like those across the East Coast that were filled with stainless steel and tile and that he loved so much as a kid. The diner in Delta, Wisconsin, serves its specialty Norwegian pancakes and deluxe omelets in a completely restored 1940 Silk City Diner supplied by a New Jersey company.

There’s seating for 38 while Todd, who once worked in advertising and marketing, does the cooking himself from a grill in plain view of the patrons. On the wall, you’ll find the diner 10 Commandments, which include: Thou Shalt Not Eat Fast Food.

“We were chasing career and money, and we had a bit of a realization that we wanted to take a different direction,” Todd Says.

Delta Diner has that and a history to it: the diner sits on the former site of the Delta Store, which long served as the community gathering spot until it burned in 1972.

Now, Todd and Nina’s diner fills that role for local residents and has become a hot spot for visitors, too.

Delta Diner, 12 miles south of Iron River on Bayfield County Highway H, is open six days a week (closed Tuesdays) through the end of October. Hours may change for winter; check www.deltadiner.com/cfweb for updates (plus great photos and stories) or call 715-372-6666.