Everyone refers to Buffalo, NY as “The City of Good Neighbors,” and now I understand why.

I love diners, but I haven’t been able to experience much of Buffalo’s favored diner locations yet, considering I’ve only been a resident for a little over a week. I decided that needed to change.

There’s a lot of diners in Western New York worthy of checking out, but the Smokin’ Little Diner in Depew, NY caught my eye.

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After a quick Google search, I saw that the interior of the diner was decorated with all kinds of pigs (which are my favorite animal) and the menu had vegetarian options, so I made my choice. 

While I was at Smokin’ Little Diner in Depew, I sat at the counter, so I talked to not only the people on either side of me, but also the staff at Smokin’ Little Diner. And, to be fair, I asked a lot of questions.

“Is Depew, like, a town within Cheektowaga?”

It’s not.

“Where do you think I’d find an I heart New York mug?”

Try the BFLO store or Buffalove.

Then I asked, “Where is the nearest IKEA?” Unfortunately, my waitress told me that it’s in Canada, and it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to cross that border within the next few days.

That’s when my waitress asked me if I was moving, and I told her how I just moved here from Indiana.

“But I had to go explore a diner today.” I said, “Because the hotel I’m living in for the next week only has decaf coffee and microwaveable eggs because the stove is broke.”

Two other staff members joined my conversation with the waitress, and they started asking me about what kind of furniture I have for my new place. 

“All I have right now is a mattress,” I said.

The waitress looked at her two coworkers, and then told me she would be right back (I assumed that she was grabbing the coffee pot to refill my cup), but instead something unexpectedly amazing happened.

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A box was set down before me at the counter.

I looked up, and I saw the woman smiling. “This should help you with your new place, right?”

A diner I have never been in, filled with people I have never seen, offered up their old kitchenware that they no longer use to help make the moving process a little easier for me. 

I was honestly speechless, but the other nearby staff members insisted that I should take it. 

I couldn’t help but tear up a little bit as the waitress walked with me to my car, carrying the box of dishes for me.

“Welcome to Buffalo,” she said.

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