Scott and Vanessa Boss have been mulling a dream for more than 2 decades that will come to fruition Monday.

After they got married last August, the couple realized they shared the same longtime aspiration of running a restaurant. On their 1-year anniversary, Aug. 15, they walked into the future home of Duwaynes Diner: The Garden of Eaten.

“This has been a dream of my husband’s and mine for a very long time, and now it’s coming together,” Vanessa said.

The diner, 609 Depot Ave., was previously home to Flynnie’s Diner, which moved next door to 607 Depot Ave. and opened today. Before Flynnie’s, Cathy’s Breakfast Nook filled the spot and featured overnight hours.

The Rock Falls couple plans to bring overnight diner hours back to the area, operating from 9 p.m. Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday and 9 p.m. Saturday to 3 p.m. Sunday.

The weekday hours will be 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The name is its own unique combination. Vanessa always wanted to open a restaurant and give it her dad’s middle name, Duwayne, and Scott’s been dead set on the name Garden of Eaten for years.

Vanessa has worked as a server in the area for about 20 years, beginning at Pizza Hut in Sterling when she was 16.

“I love seeing people smile and seeing them happy,” she said. “It’s something that’s very rewarding.”

Scott works at Boss Roofing and Siding in Rock Falls, owned by his son, Brick Boss, and put his experience to use installing a new tin roof on the building. He has also worked late nights painting and sprucing up the diner to get it ready for its Monday opening.

“We wanted to keep the old style alive,” he said.

The diner will serve breakfast all day, and the menu will also feature Scott’s specialty wet burrito: a flour tortilla shell filled with slow-cooked beef brisket, beans, lettuce, tomato and a homemade sauce.

The Bosses want the diner to have a family atmosphere, and it will be run by about a dozen friends and family members, including Vanessa’s sister Adriana Mulnix, who will serve as manager.

BUSINESS HOURS AND INFO

Duwaynes Diner: The Garden of Eaten, 609 Depot Ave., plans to open at 5 a.m. Monday.

The diner will be open from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. They will reopen at 9 p.m. Friday until 3 p.m. Saturday, then reopen at 9 p.m. Saturday until 3 p.m. Sunday. Carry-out is available.

Flynnie's Diner, 607 Depot Ave., opened in its new location today. The diner is open from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Call 815-288-1421 for more information on Duwaynes; a website is in the works.
Call Flynnie's at 815-973-8129 or find Flynnie's on Facebook for more information.