Former Penny's Place diner reopens under new name

CRESTVIEW — After being closed for several months, the locally owned North 85 Diner — formerly known as Penny's Place — has officially relocated and reopened.

Although the diner's location and name has changed, Penny Rink's vision for her restaurant remains the same — creating a family atmosphere.

"I don't meet a stranger," Rink said. "There is no one in here that is a stranger to me."

Shawn Woody, Rink's husband, said the restaurant has many regulars who have become like family.

A small wooden chair rests in the corner of the restaurant with the words "Bill's chair" written on the front.

Rink and Woody recalled one of their original regulars, Bill, who passed away a few years ago.

According to Woody, Bill came and sat in his chair while sipping coffee every day from the diner's first opening.

"He'd sit right by the kitchen door, and if anybody came in, he'd be banging on that door — 'Hey! You got somebody here,'" Rink said.

"It was always family," Woody said.

Louisiana-style cooking

The diner has been in Crestview for eight years.

Woody has been in Crestview his entire life, but Rink moved to the area in 2001 from Louisiana, where she was raised.

After working in the restaurant business as a waitress, Rink decided she would branch out and open her own diner.

She said that owning her own restaurant is challenging, but also rewarding.

"I love my customers, every one of them," Rink said. "I contemplated not opening and doing something else, but I couldn't not do it. They wouldn't let me."

Rink said she learned many of her cooking techniques growing up in Louisiana and watching her grandmother cook.

To incorporate some of her upbringing, Rink has Cajun-style classics on the menu like gumbo and shrimp etouffee.

Rink also plans to keep a popular item on the breakfast menu — the omelette with a shrimp etouffee topping.

The diner's new space is much larger than the former location on North Ferdon Boulevard.

"We loved it there … but we needed some place to be bigger to accommodate more customers," Rink said.

Moving into the new location took several months due to septic tank issues at the new location that are now resolved, Woody said.

North 85 Diner is located at 6194 State Road 85 N. in Crestview.

For more information, including hours and menu items, call the diner at 306-3277.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Former Penny's Place diner reopens under new name