Daily fix at Franklin's

COEUR d'ALENE - The door swings open at Franklin's, and a man walks in.

Before he sits down, Evelyn Bevacqua tosses out a welcome.

"Hi Rick. How you doing?"

He nods and takes seat in a booth near the front door. Bevacqua, without asking, places an order for this guest.

Tea, tomatoes, potatoes.

"People come in, we know their names, we know what they want," she said. "I don't even have to ask what they want."

Bevacqua is co-owner of the small diner at 501 N. Fourth. She bought it about a year and half ago with a "silent partner." She's the face of the operation, the one who arrives at 6:30 a.m., who greets guests, who at times handles the cooking, the waiting on tables and the dishwashing - sometimes all at once.

She knows the stories of her customers, too.

"What's that show, 'Cheers?'" she asks. "It's kind of like that. But it's not a bar."

There is an easy, running banter between Bevacqua and the breakfast crowd. There's back-and-forth kidding. It's a laughing, happy place, she says. It's not where you come for serious conversation. You won't find heated political debates here about health care, presidential candidates and ultrasounds.

Bevacqua loves friendly chatter with customers, finding out what's happening in their lives - at least so she has some ammunition for some good-natured teasing.

"I just like to give them a bad time, and they give it back," she said. "That's what they want."

Like Henry Lane.

The Coeur d'Alene man visits a few times a week, usually for potatoes and gravy. He likes the camaraderie, the good people, the good fun.

"It's like 'Cheers.' They know your name," he said.

He referred to Franklin's as a "nice little hometown restaurant." And Bevacqua, he said, "is a straight shooter.

"We're just customers, but she invited us to stay at her father's house in Switzerland," he said, smiling.

Franklin's has been around for 30 years after being started in 1981 by Larry and Pauline Anderson. Larry, who passed away Feb. 14, 2011, at the age of 67, was known for his love of old cars, his culinary skills and for ribbing visitors.

Bevacqua didn't change much when she came in. Some new paint, a little shuffling, expanded hours. There are new pictures, too, of Bevacqua's family, her parents in Switzerland, her grandfather, and son Mitch, a three-sport, star athlete at Lake City High School.

The first dollar she earned at Franklin's on Sept. 3, 2010, is proudly framed and displayed.

But otherwise, it's the same menu, the same recipes, many of the same pictures of Anderson and classic cars, and the same amicable atmosphere.

"This place is not a fancy place," she said. "The food is simple, but it's good, it's homemade."

Lunch and dinner favorites include Philly cheesesteak for $6.95, pepper steak for $7.95, and the cheeseburger for $6.50.

Breakfast offerings include eggs benedict for $7.95, a Denver omelet at $7.50 and the burrito at $6.95.

There's beer and wine, too, and the bottomless coffee runs $1.50. Half-orders and splits are just fine, Bevacqua said.

But no fries. Orders come with potato chips and a pickle.

"I'm glad I do not have a fryer. I don't even want one," she said, chuckling.

Bevacqua has a varied business background.

She has worked in advertising. She has owned coffee and hot dog stands. She was at a title company when she was laid off a few years back, and began looking for opportunities again in the restaurant field.

Franklin's, a few blocks from the heart of downtown, was the right fit.

Bevacqua, who also works a second job in sales, oversees a staff of five part-timers. Most days, there's a cook and a waitress. Some days, it's just a one-woman operation.

Franklin's serves between 75-100 a day and business is growing. Sales were up 60 percent in January and February, compared to the same two months last year. More college students are stopping in for an affordable meal in a cozy environment.

She believes word is getting out about the eatery's service, food and expanded hours, 7-8 Monday through Friday, and 8-3 Saturday and Sunday. Drivers who used to pass by are now stopping in. Nearby residents are walking a few blocks for "something a little different."

"I'm very hopeful," she said.

Thanks to people like Jack Tibbitts.

The Coeur d'Alene man has been coming to Franklin's for more than 20 years.

"I have no other place to go," he said, laughing.

"Sometimes, it's hard to get service around here," he added with a smile.

Seriously, though, he keeps coming back for one big reason.

"It's like home here."