DEERFIELD — Looking for a diner-style breakfast at a cheap price? Chris Dodge and Jim Dion have you covered.

The two brothers, who are both military veterans, have opened The 5&10 Breakfast Club in the Tibetan Plaza at 265 Greenfield Road, with the hopes of serving diners a filling, affordable meal. The new restaurant, which opened Jan. 21, is open every day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and serves breakfast and lunch.

Dodge and Dion said the restaurant is a passion project for them because the former was a U.S. Navy cook and the latter is a railroad worker with a culinary background. Combined, the brothers have more than 30 years in cooking and the restaurant industry.

“I’m not doing this to make a killing, I’m doing this because I enjoy it and my brother’s a chef,” said Dodge, who operated a cafe in Washington for several years. “I know the concept will work.”

“I’ll give it one more go before the bones give out. … It’s more of an expensive hobby,” Dion added.

The two men said their idea is to run the diner for a few hours a day, as they crank out breakfast and lunch at low prices, which they say is possible because their staff is made up of family members, meaning their overhead costs are ingredients and rent. A three-egg special that includes home fries or a hash brown, toast and a drink is $11, while a burger is $10 and also comes with a side and a drink.

“We’re keeping it simple,” Dodge said, with Dion adding there’s “nothing over the top.”

They said they also want to cultivate a diner feel, where regulars can come early in the morning, place their order and chat with Dodge while he cooks. He does have one request, however. The restaurant’s dining space is quite small and if people are waiting to be seated, regulars should be courteous and let other customers come in.

“I want people to come in and sit and enjoy,” Dodge said. “Here’s how I look at it: We’re family-owned and everyone that wants to become regulars here are part of the family.”

The restaurant will be serving only breakfast and lunch, but Dodge said his brother is exploring opening for pop-up dinners in the future, so Dion can flex his culinary muscles.

“You get the cooking bug out of your system,” Dion said.

Beyond that, the brothers are hoping their little diner proves to be successful enough to hand it off to their family whenever they decide to hang up the apron and chef’s jacket. If family doesn’t want it, then they envision it is a small enough operation for a couple to take over.

The restaurant is cash only as of right now — although that may change soon — because Dodge and Dion are waiting on their card machine to ship.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.]]>