by Katlin Oberlin

You can’t judge a book by its cover, and you can’t judge a restaurant by its building. The Wealthy St. Station is a mechanic’s shop turned deli.

When you walk into the Wealthy St. Station you may feel like it’s a mechanic’s shop. You order from the counter, and the menu is either on a poster board on the left, or in paper form on the counter for you to take home.

A very friendly waiter/server/cashier takes your order and lets you know when your food is ready. There are only about three tables for customers to sit at inside, so it seems that more people order their food by phone and pick it up.

Sophomore Abby Stoner and I decided to eat outside at one of the four patio furniture tables. It was fairly windy, but the sun was shining and the air was warm. When our food was ready, the friendly man at the counter who took our order let us know that our food was ready by banging on the garage door, and we went inside to get our food.

We sat and rocked out to 97 LAV-FM which just happens to be West Michigan’s “home” for classic rock — the typical music you hear when you go to have your car fixed, oil changed or tires repaired. We truly felt like mechanics taking a lunch break outside the shop, enjoying a hefty meal. There was also a mural painted on a wall next to the diner which provided something to look at while we ate.

I ordered the veggie sandwich with fries, which was hot and delicious. Abby ordered the chicken sandwich with fries. Our food came in fry baskets, and they gave us a bottle of ketchup to share. The fries had some sort of seasoning and were nice and thick, not crunchy or mushy, but just right. We also ordered drinks. The Wealthy St. Station offers a beverage choice in an abnormal fashion. Instead of the typical fountain pop, you order a drink by the can. They have Coke and Pepsi products. I ordered the delicious Black Cherry Cream Soda and Abby got a can of Coca-Cola. When you have finished eating, you take your basket, can, and ketchup bottle back to the counter and they take care of the rest.

From the counter, where you order your food, you can see everything. They have large glass coolers with the beverages, and you can watch the chefs grill and prepare your food. The menu of the Wealthy St. Station is very diverse. They have a mix of starters and sides, dinner baskets, an American menu, Polish menu, Mexican menu, and a kids menu. They also have substitutes for vegetarians on almost all of their sandwiches. This diner has a soup of the day, ice cream and two slushy machines.

People who love restoring old cars will especially love the Wealthy St. Station. Signs and pictures of vintage cars and auto-mechanic product brands covered the walls, creating a true mechanic’s atmosphere.

It takes about seven minutes to get to the Wealthy St. Station from Cornerstone and it is located on the corner of Wealthy and Fuller. They are open Monday through Saturday at 11 a.m. for lunch and dinner. They are closed on Sunday. This diner may not look so appealing on the outside, but the food inside is delicious! The Wealthy St. Station creates the auto-mechanic atmosphere, so Get Out!, put on your collared shirt with your name stitched in the corner, and feel like a mechanic when you try their delectable food.