Jackie Ecker, a born-and-raised Glenside resident and a graduate of Bishop McDevitt High School, first opened The Village Diner in September 2003.

Before her foray into the restaurant business, she was an employee at the Keswick Tavern. A Caribbean-style restaurant occupied the corner property at 299 N Keswick Avenue.

“It had been a Mexican restaurant and a Nella Cocina for years. I redid it into a diner because we felt that Glenside needed that,” Ecker said. “The other owner and I just wanted to do breakfast and lunch because we each had young kids, so we used to end the day by 3:00pm.” she said.

Ecker, a mother of four (including a current freshman at Jenkintown), ended up buying her partner out after a few years and readjusted the diner’s hours. Several members of the staff, some of whom are pictured above, have been with her since Day One.

“It’s been great. I feel very fortunate and blessed. We have a lot of good people working for us, some of whom have been with us all along. We’re one big family,” she said.

The Village Diner has emerged well enough from the pandemic, and Ecker remembers the advantage of having outdoor seating during that era.

“We’re just plugging away and still regrouping since the pandemic. Those tables and chairs were a blessing,” she said. “The Keswick Fall Festival is coming back next Saturday, which is nice because we want our small businesses to thrive. We’ll be on the street doing our thing as a vendor and a table.”

On September 26, Ecker posted the following to the diner’s Facebook page:

20 Years! Hard to believe it!

I want to thank all of our customers for supporting the Diner these last 20 years. We appreciate all of you who come in regularly and those who stop in when they can. I want to thank my staff both present and past for helping me make the Diner the success it is today. I could not have done it without your hard work and support throughout the years. You are not only my employees but my extended family. I want to thank my family and friends for sticking by my side through all the ups and downs and to my two kids, now getting the job done in the kitchen.

Small town USA, Glenside, has been an incredible town to own a family-based business. Please continue to support the small businesses in Glenside. Thank you all and hope to see you soon at the Diner! – Jackie

“We’ve gotten a great response for the anniversary, especially from other local businesses. It’s been a really cool thing to see. We give each other a lot of support in this town,” she said.

For more on the Village Diner, you can visit their Facebook page.

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