DANVILLE, Pa. — You may remember the diner on Mill Street in Danville with a bright green facade. Now with new owners, it's not green anymore, at least on the outside. But inside, there's plenty of green on the menu.
"It is honestly incredible how many people have come in and said, 'Well, I'm not a vegan, but I'm pleasantly surprised with how good this.' And that's the goal of all of this," said manager Zachary Weidner.
PB&J Bar opened this past weekend. The name stands for plant-based and juice bar, and the menu is entirely vegan.
"You don't have to be a vegan to come here, and if people are thinking it's going to be steam vegetables and that's it, the chef and the way Christian and his staff have been doing things, it's totally surprising," John Grabusky said.
Christian Force and his fiancée Shannon bought the building to turn it into a vegan cafe because of the need for a place like this in the Danville area.
"I've been vegan for about six years, and this is the first restaurant that's really been entirely plant-based with all kinds of options," Season Whitenight said.
Christian and Shannon have already been business owners in downtown Danville. Just a few storefronts down from the juice bar, they own a gym where they promote plant-based eating.
"People always ask us well, 'where do you go to eat?' They decided to open a restaurant to feed their clients and the town of Danville. A lot of the people that have been coming in are people we've been telling for the last three months, 'This is coming to town, we're going to be open.' Everybody is very happy," Weidner said.
Folks who've stopped in say it certainly smells a whole lot different from what it used to when it was a diner known for its hot dogs. But customers say that shouldn't stop you from trying it.
"Not only is it a great place to eat, but it's also a community stopping area. There's been a lot of people in the community that have been here just in the opening weekend. It's more like a party than it is a restaurant," Grabusky said.