Biz Buzz

     Wade's Diner, 176 E. Ninth St., in Oswego, is celebrating 75+ years of business in October with a contest and a very special special raffle to thank the community for its loyal support.

     Wade's owner, Anthony Zappala, announced he plans to commemorate Oswego's little "gem" of a diner by raffling off a beautiful pair of diamond earrings worth $395 donated by J.P. Jewelers, in Oswego.
     "We never really recognized our 75th anniversary in 2012, which was our diamond year, so we are doing it now," Zappala said. "We really appreciate the generosity of Jamie Pauldine at J.P. Jewelers for his donation and helping us to celebrate our anniversary in style."
     Originally opened in 1937 by Neal Wade, Wade's Diner has only had three different owners during this time. Around 1953, Thomas Parrish purchased the diner from Wade. At the time, the diner was open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was Thomas who decided it would be more economically feasible to make the diner a breakfast hotspot and it has remained open just for breakfast ever since.
     In 1983, Zappala purchased the diner along with Joseph Clark. In 2003, Clark, Zappala's friend and business partner of 30 years, passed away and Zappala has been running Wade's ever since.
     Zappala said the raffle for the diamond earrings will begin Oct. 20 with the drawing planned for Saturday, Nov. 2. Raffle tickets are $1 each or six tickets for $5 and can be purchased at the store during regular business hours, 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday through Sunday.
     He said during the week of Oct. 20-26, Wade's will be giving away a $10 Wade's gift certificate each day. Customers can enter during that time by filling out a card that will be made available on every table in the diner.
     All of Wade's homemade bread is baked on site in their in-house bakery. Zappala pointed out that while Wade's raisin bread remains one of its signature items, he wants to let customers know about their "bread buddies," a smaller, grilled version of their famous bread.
     Zappala said Wade's is also in the process of creating its first-ever logo and undergoing a re-branding.
     "After 75+ years, Wade's will finally have its own logo, courtesy of the very talented artist, Cayetano Valenzuela, and I Heart Corp," Zappala said.
     You can connect with Wade's Diner on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wades-Diner/112409935443660 for all of their specials and upcoming events. You can also find the menu on their website, wadesdineroswego.com.