try the prime rib end cut for dinner

generous portions for breakfast... for diner food it is a cut above.

+1

I had lunch there right after the renovations were finished. The food was good, my server was friendly. I'll definately be going back when I'm around that way!

Haven't been there in probably a year but the place always had good service and grub (particularly breakfast)

Just went back today - after wretched experience at Bayonne Motor Vehicle Commission. The place has been renovated (by same owners - family I think).. looks awesome, food and service were great.

Definitely recommend it for anyone looking for breakfast / brunch place...

i think we should annex the few blocks north of county road so that coach house is a part of jc

also, the new renovations look really nice.. and the food at coach house remains great as always

A hearty serving
After renovations and relocations, 1939 diner still stands strong

By: Nicolas Millan
Hudson Reporter
01/20/2008

Neighborhood Notables

Editor's note: This is the first part of a series that will run once a month. The series is about locals who have defied the odds and made a lasting impression with deep rooted ties to their community in North Hudson County.

A sense of legacy and history is something the Pappas family prides themselves in.

Since 1939, the Pappas family has run the Coach House Diner located on Kennedy Boulevard in North Bergen. The two sons, owners John Pappas, 65, and Nicholas Pappas, 64, are continuing the traditions taught by their parents Clem and Helen.

Patriarch Clem Pappas, who built the Coach House Diner nearly 70 years ago, knew the value of hard work and sacrifice at an early age.

Clem was born in a small village 100 miles west of Athens and arrived in the United States at the age of 12 in 1919. Clem moved in with an uncle who lived in Boston, Mass. and had to adapt to many changes in his life including being separated from his mother (his father died at a young age), adapting to the primarily Irish neighborhood, and learning the nuances of the English language. Yet despite his early difficulties he became a U.S. citizen before the age of 20.

As a young man, Clem poured the discipline he learned as a boy into developing his body as well as his mind.

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Clem ran almost daily, eventually competing in the Boston Marathon in 1927. While working at his uncle's grocery store as a youth, Clem thought running in the marathon would promote his uncle's store and business would grow, however, that didn't happen. Still, during the marathon, he was neck and neck with seven-time Boston Marathon winner Clarence Demar at mile fifteen.

Building a network

Clem moved to the Garden State in the later part of 1927 with his family as a result of having more friends and family in New Jersey, in addition to a "better network."

In 1939, Clem Pappas established and built the Boulevard Diner in what was then named West Hoboken.

Currently, the restaurant is located at 921 Kennedy Blvd., an area which lies a stone's throw away from Jersey City and Union City.

The days of selling 50-cent steaks and 15-cent sandwiches flew by for Clem Pappas as the diligent determination to succeed as an immigrant marked his life. Clem would simultaneously cook and serve food for the 34 years the Boulevard Diner was open.

One day, while visiting an accounting firm to file for 1939's taxes, he met a young lady named Helen, who married Clem one year later. Helen was a Union City resident born of Greek descended parents. Her youngest son John remembers that Helen would work everyday with his father performing several duties throughout the restaurant including cashing customers out and other host-like duties.

In 1949, John remembers his mother being attributed as the unofficial inventor of the hamburger deluxe.

Additionally, she would also help Clem out with recipes, some of which are still used to this day.

Filling shoes

Throughout the '50s, John and Nicholas Pappas remembered their mother working at the diner when the boys were at school; however, Clem Pappas didn't want that life for their children.

"My father always wanted better things for us; to become a doctor, a lawyer, stuff like that," said John.

Despite graduating from Harvard Business School, John Pappas rejoined the family in 1974 to help run the restaurant. His brother Nicholas had dropped out of dental school to join his family in the restaurant business in 1969.

Since then, the two brothers have had an integral part in the restaurant. They were present for and oversaw the demolition of the Boulevard Diner in 1973 and the simultaneous construction of what residents now know to be the Coach House Diner.

The two brothers currently own the restaurant after the unfortunate deaths of their father in 1991 and their mother in 2001. The couple was married for 51 years. Clem worked the restaurant thru to the late 80s until old age and sickness overcame him. His wife Helen left the restaurant business to take care of her husband and chose not to return after his death.

Back to the future

The Coach House Diner recently celebrated the completion of its two-year renovation project, a development that reportedly costs over $3 million.

"We were never closed during the renovations," said John Pappas. "It's an engineering feat to renovate the diner while staying open."

The diner now features up-to-date kitchen utilities, stylish interior, and a new, expanded bar.

Nicholas Pappas' dream was always to build a bar.

"It's my baby," said Nicholas.

In order to move into the new millennium, the brothers have upgraded services to the staff too.

The two brothers pride themselves in the restaurant's efficiency, offering 401(k) programs, health insurance benefits, and a break room for the staff.

With close to 90 employees and nearly 10,000 to 11,000 customers served weekly, the brothers explain that satisfaction is a personal goal of theirs.

"We're conscious that we're part of a much bigger community," explains John. "Without our employees and customers, we're nobody."

John, who has been married to his wife Stella for 32 years, suggests that perhaps one day, one of his three children may take over, though he has never forced that idea upon them.

"I didn't raise them to come into the restaurant business," says John.

Nicholas, who has been married 30 years, shares the same outlook as his brother.

With two successful daughters, one in med-school and the other a Harvard Business School graduate, Nicholas is taking it one day at a time.

"I'm just going to try to stay as healthy as possible so I can stay here as long as possible. I love my job," said Nicholas.

Loyal customers

Though recently having parted with the Coach House Diner in Hacksenack, the Pappas' maintain their goal to stay in Hudson County serving its many loyal customers.

Union City residents Anna Janelli and Norma Sonzogni, together with childhood friends, recently enjoyed a pleasant lunch at the Coach House Diner on a Tuesday afternoon.

Janelli and Sonzogni together with friends Irene and Ann Molinari, said that they have been dining at the Coach House all their lives.

"We come here, because it's like a family," said Janelli of the newly renovated restaurant.

Janelli and Sonzogni, who have been friends since attending Thomas A. Edison Middle School and are Emerson High School graduates, added that it's nice to reminisce in the restaurant.

The brothers made it a point to maintain its roots, as echoed by its lavish collection of historic pictures dating back to the early '40s that are displayed throughout the restaurant.

"I found my brother in one of the pictures," said Janelli.

"The restaurant has been a focal point for thousands of customers; it's like a part of life," John Pappas said. "We see that as a big responsibility and, because of our history, promise not to disappoint."

To comment on this story, e-mail NMillan@hudsonreporter.com.