Offering a wide range of choices for breakfast and lunch, the Center Street Luncheonette is a comfortable diner-style restaurant located in the heart of downtown Wallingford. Mrs. Amy Fortin, the owner of the establishment, always had the dream of opening her own restaurant. However, her journey to achieve this goal wasn’t without its challenges. Mrs. Fortin suffered from alcohol addiction prior to opening the Luncheonette. According to Mrs. Fortin, God saw her going down the wrong path in life and gave her the hope to come back and start over by following her dream. She opened her restaurant in 2013.
Mrs. Fortin has been in business for almost five years now, offering American-style breakfast and lunch dishes such as customizable omelettes, signature breakfast sandwiches, and several breakfast specials. One of the most popular items on the menu is the Corn Beef Hash, which consists of meat, potatoes, and an array of spices. The Luncheonette’s enormous pancakes, customizable with blueberries, chocolate chips, and a variety of other add-ins, are another big hit.
The Center Street Luncheonette also offers a variety of lunch options with salads and specialty burgers. “Our salads are made to order and our dressings are homemade and ever changing,” explained Mrs. Fortin. “The burgers are half-pound, fresh, and hand formed in house.”
The building that the Center Street Luncheonette occupies has housed a string of breakfast and lunch restaurants, the oldest dating as far back as the 1930s. When Mrs. Fortin opened the Luncheonette, however, she wanted a design that she felt would create a more comfortable and more enjoyable dining experience. Mrs. Fortin decided to decorate the place to give it the feel of an old-fashioned diner.
The restaurant’s quirky decor adds to its relaxed feel. The breakfast element of the Center Street Luncheonette is highlighted even before diners enter its doors, a sign displaying the restaurant’s name overlayed on an egg hanging just outside. From the long counter or the booths that line the Luncheonette’s walls, customers can watch specialties like grilled muffins and inch-thick pancakes being cooked.
After being laid off from her previous job, Mrs. Fortin decided to start over with a fresh beginning. “The mission of my restaurant is different from other restaurants,” said Mrs. Fortin. “My goal is to not only provide a friendly, healthy, and comfortable environment for my customers to eat, but to also give people hope to follow their passion in life. I want to inform people that even if you head down the wrong path, there’s always a chance to come back and follow your true passion.”
The Center Street Luncheonette offers breakfast and lunch in booth and counter seating.
