After opening its doors almost ten years ago, has remained virtually unchanged. If you ask any of the locals, they’ll tell you that they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Our regulars are the best,” owner Jason DiBella said, “If we’re busy or short-handed, they’ve been known to get up and bus tables for us.”
Even though the eatery has technically changed hands recently, you would never know it. DiBella took over the business after his father, Dominic DiBella passed away at the age of 63 in July 2010.
“Every Sunday, you could see him with two coffee pots, walking around the restaurant and catching up with people,” DiBella said of his father. “Since he’s passed away, I’ve tried to keep things the same. It worked for him; it works for me.”
According to the waitresses who have been at Dom's since the beginning, Dom's is the kind of place where "everyone knows everyone" and the food comes fresh, made to order and represents meals that are from an older time.
“You can get meatloaf and liver and onions in the middle of your week,” said Darlene Miller, a waitress at Dom’s since it opened.
You know the food is good because the health inspectors, past and present, eat at Dom’s as do the employees.
“We pay attention to detail,” said DiBella. “No one will care like the owner does about the attention to detail.”
The warm and comfortable vibes of the eatery make it not only enjoyable for the people who eat there, but also for the staff.
“I love working here,” said Joanne Bizeau. “This is something I enjoy, and I wouldn’t take a job anywhere else.”
The three waitresses, who say they are more of a family than co-workers, agreed that the customers are just an extension of their clan.
“We have visited many customers in the hospital, have brought food to them at their homes after a surgery, and we always worry when our regulars don’t come in,” said Miller.
Cathy Csaszar said that in return, the regulars worry about staff members if they are not at work.
In addition to the great service and atmosphere, Dom’s features a monthly event that regulars have requested for years.
As a restaurant that is only open for breakfast and lunch, Dom’s closes at 2 p.m. Locals requested time and again that their favorite place be open during dinner hours, but DiBella says he enjoys time with his family too much to sacrifice those precious hours.
As a compromise, Dom’s Broad Street Eatery began hosting a monthly benefit, the cause for which is constantly changing.
“Believe it or not, we get our requests for different causes through word of mouth,” said DiBella.
In the past, different benefits served causes such as foundations dedicated to Lymphoma, Leukemia, the local fuel bank, the Windsor Education Foundation and the local food pantry.
The benefits serve the different causes by donating 20 percent of sales for the night. The next benefit will be in honor of a local family’s son who is in the service.
“We always get nervous before a benefit,” said DiBella. “There’s a lot of preparation, but I love it.”
Although walk-ins are welcome to these events, Dom’s requests reservations to allow for proper seating and food distribution.
As the locals are the same people who keep Dom’s busy every day, they are also the people who support all of the benefits.
“This is something special, ya know?” said DiBella. “People really show up for these events.”
And Dom's faithful will be glad to hear that the business, DiBella said, has not taken a hit along with the struggling economy. If anything, he said, he has noticed an increase in business.
As business stays strong, Dom's has become a staple of the Windsor community, serving up great food and giving back with their monthly benefits. The main draw, however, is and will continue to be the people.
“We care about our customers,” DiBella said, and in the same breath told the waitresses, “you guys mean as much as my father did to this restaurant.”
To sponsor or take part in a benefit at Dom's, contact Jason DiBella at 860.298.9758 or Jason.DiBella@comcast.net.
Dom’s Broad Street Eatery is located at 330 Broad Street in Windsor.
Be sure to stop in because, as promised by the staff, this restaurant is “where old friends gather and new friends meet.”
