Toad’s Diner Returns to Freeville

The “Toad’s Diner” sign is a welcome sight to area residents after the failures of several consecutive business attempts at 17 Railroad Street in Freeville. Dave Perkins has decided to take the reins and bring the original diner back to life.

Dave has been in food service since he opened a sub shop in Cortland in 1972, shortly after graduating from Dryden Central Schools in 1971. “I was the youngest business owner in Cortland at the time,” he says. He eventually sold the sub shop and went to Cornell, where he worked as a life safety specialist until 1999, when he left Cornell to run Toad’s Diner full time.

Dave and his wife Kathy opened Toad’s Diner, a sandwich and ice cream store, in 1993. Business picked up so much that they decided to separate the two facets of Toad’s Diner, and in 2000, they built Toad’s Too Ice Cream Oasis directly across the street from the main location. However, Kathy’s injury in 1999 and other untimely circumstances increased the difficulty in running both locations.

“We had to make a choice between running the diner or the ice cream store,” Dave says. “We chose to operate the ice cream store in the summer and close Toad’s Diner. People were unhappy that the diner closed. Over the past few years, I’ve heard many comments from people who wanted Toad’s back.”

They leased out the restaurant portion of the building in 2006. This was the first of four leases over a span of about four years. Each of the eateries failed.

“People need to understand that you can’t just walk in, open a restaurant, and make lots of money right away,” Dave says. “Can you make lots of money? Sure. But you have to work at it, and it takes time.”

After Casey’s Diner closed in late 2010, Dave decided that leasing the property was just too difficult. The need for an eatery in Freeville remained, so he decided to re-open Toad’s Diner. Remodeling started in January, 2011 and Toad’s Diner opened without major advertisement on Saturday, July 9th.

“Right now we’re operating pretty much by word of mouth . . . but business is increasing every day,” Dave says. “I’m anxious to get the business back to the way it was in the beginning, but it’s going to take some time. Toad’s Diner had a good reputation, and we offered good food at reasonable prices.”

Though Dave plans on making the diner the same type of family eatery as it was years ago, he has updated the menu to offer new items and has added dinner specials.

“I’ve kept popular items on the menu. The fish fry was a big draw, and I’ll have chicken and biscuits again on Sundays. I won’t be doing pizza right away, though,” Dave adds. “The pizza business is an entirely different business than the diner. I want to get the diner running well first, and I also want to perfect something that’s different and better than what other people have before I start doing pizza.” Once business becomes steady, Dave plans on offering all-you-can-eat weekend brunches.

For now, Dave remains focused on working to re-establish the diner’s good reputation and winning back his customer base. “Satisfaction is guaranteed,” he says. He also encourages his customers’ feedback; he wants to know how Toad’s Diner is doing and what he can do to improve the diner. “If there are any complaints, customers should bring them right to me.”

Toad’s Diner is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and is closed on Wednesdays. Take-out orders can be placed all day by calling 844-5229. “So hop on down to Toad’s!” Dave says. “Sorry, no frog’s legs sold here!”

Written by Shannon R. Noble

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