Central Lunch 'Just Like Home' for 85 Years

Joe De Biase planned to celebrate Central Lunch's 85th anniversary this past weekend like he does every year—by selling coffee for a nickel.

That's how much a cup cost when De Biase's father, Carmine, took over the lunchroom from a butcher shop next door to it in 1928.

This Saturday, though, De Biase was in for a surprise when a nephew from Georgia arrived with family members and a banner proclaiming the milestone:

The Central Lunch
Opened July 13, 1928
Serving Madison for 85 years!

Numerous friends and family members stopped by, and a neighboring merchant popped in after seeing the banner outside, saying, "I had no idea."

"It's one I'll never forget," De Biase said.

Central Lunch has a counter and right behind it a stove on which De Biase cooks in front of everybody. It's open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"It's just like home," he said.

A Bayley Ellard High School graduate, De Biase, 78, took over the business from his father in 1982. He lives in Madison in a house his father built in the 1940s.

The lunchroom at 13 Central Ave. is known for the stories, opinions and information traded there, as well as its Klondike sandwiches: ground up hamburger, home fried potatoes and fried onions, chopped fine with American cheese melted over it. Another is made with sausage and pepper instead of hamburger.

The sandwich is so named because De Biase's father heard it's what gold miners ate.

Another popular menu item is De Biase's BLT.

"I put a lot of bacon on them," he said. "That's why."

Named for a Kennedy

The 85th anniversary is the latest of many unforgettable days at Central Lunch. There was the day Phil Rizzuto came in and the day De Biase was robbed in the 1980s.

And there's April 20, 1994. That's when John F. Kennedy Jr. ate at Central Lunch after checking to see what it would cost for Antique Autos on Kings Road to restore his Karmann Ghia and ended up selling the car to them.

The owner of Antique Autos brought him to Central Lunch because he knew no one would bother him, De Biase said. The sandwich Kennedy ordered, a Klondike with lettuce and tomato, was named for him. A sign for it hangs on the wall, along with many photos of De Biase's customers, who he counts as his extended family.

A sign at the entrance says, "Praise Jesus! Through This Door Walk The Greatest Customers On Earth," inspired by a sign De Biase saw when he served in the Navy.

"My customers, I swear by them," he said. "They're terrific."