Heather Mann and her family are keeping old-timey American diner traditions alive, while contemporizing their approach.
The 47-year-old Oneonta native, together with parents, Linda and Butch Burgher and brother, Dustin Burgher, launched Soda Jerks & Action Lube in 2011. The 458 Chestnut St., Oneonta site features rotating and classic diner fare alongside a full-service garage.
“Mom and Dad bought it in ’97, and it was just a garage,” Mann said. “If they ever want to retire and leave the building to me and my brother, they’d have a job for both of us, because I don’t do cars and he doesn’t do food. So, that’s why we changed the waiting room to be a dining room.
“We started the conversation in 2005, and it took a lot of conversations with the health department,” she continued. “They were like, ‘You want to do what? Where?’ But we did all the construction ourselves, after hours, so the garage never stopped operations while we built the diner. Mom’s office turned into a rolling cart, and we’d roll it back every night. (Once finished), everyone was like, ‘Oh, I get it now.’”
Linda Burgher said diner ownership is nothing new in the family, as her parents operated Oneonta’s West End Diner on Oneida Street in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s.
Vision became reality, Mann said, in July 2011 and Soda Jerks has been open continuously since, something she attributes to the site’s dual offerings.
“Honestly, I think being attached to the garage saved us during COVID,” she said. “A lot of small restaurants went under, but you can wait for your car anywhere; you couldn’t go out to eat, but you could wait for your car.”
The food, Mann said, has staying power, too.
“It’s traditional American diner, with a modern flare, because we do have vegan and gluten-free menus,” she said. “We try to be extremely inclusive and allergy-friendly. The education in America with food allergies and sensitivities is getting better, but it’s not quite there yet, so we’ve tried to have as many dedicated food spaces in the kitchen as we can. It’s a lot of extra work, which is why a lot of people don’t do it.
“It’s finding the right oil blend that is nut-free, and we have two fryers: one is meat and breaded and one is strictly fries, so our french fries and sweet potato fries and home fries are safe,” Mann continued. “We make everything from scratch, local, in house, with locally sourced ingredients, right down to the sauces, dressings and marinades. We don’t do shortcuts on anything. If you want to feel like you ate at your grandmother’s, stop on down.”
Mann said her pancakes are a customer favorite.
“The special pancakes always change, and some get pretty crazy and out there,” she said, gesturing to that day’s flavor: Frappuccino. “We’ve done root beer float pancakes, orange creamsicle pancakes. And we honor a lot of our regular customers on our menu; some have passed away, and their names are on the menus and their families come in and appreciate that.”
Customers, Mann said, are also diverse.
“We get a ton of baseball traffic, because we’re a half-mile away (from the All-Star Village), and we do team parties,” she said. “We get a lot of college people and, because we’re attached to the garage, we have people who will pay for students’ cars over the phone. And we do custom cakes, so we’ll get moms that call and order for their kid’s first birthday away from home and we’ll go up to the college to deliver.
“And it’s lots of locals,” she continued. “We’re one of only three restaurants that participate in the Otsego Office for the Aging Senior Dining Program (which offers reimbursement of meals for diners older than 60). Some people think we’re weird because we’re a diner and a garage; some people think it’s amazing. But it’s good to be weird.”
Mann said she hopes to continue evolving, while deepening community ties.
“We’re doing a pancake breakfast for Paul Blake, the band teacher at GMU, because he was selected to be in the Band of Conductors for the Rose Bowl Parade, but they have to fund themselves,” she said. “I was like, ‘How can I help? Let’s make it happen.’ When my kids were in school, we’d do pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinners. I’m always thinking of new flavor profiles and new specials.
“If you love what you do, then you don’t do a day of work,” Mann continued. “We have no employees; it’s all family, and when I get busy, my regulars will go around and grab the coffee pot or grab to-go containers. We honestly have the best customers, and our regular customers — they’re why we’re here, that, and the history and the community.”
As an extension of that community involvement, Mann said, Soda Jerks employs Job Corps students in the garage and BOCES students and ARC clients for kitchen internships.
The back pavilion and interior space, she said, are open for “all kinds of parties — little kids’ birthday parties, adult parties, baby showers, bridal showers, business meetings, baseball team parties, fundraisers,” and are available after hours.
Soda Jerks is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 7 to noon on Saturday.
For more information and the specials menu, find Soda Jerks on Facebook or visit actionlubesodajerks.com.