Breakfast joint has become an Oswego tradition
By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli
In 1937, Neal Wade opened his new business in a Pullman railroad car. He had been hauling the Pullman car east on Route 104 when a police officer pulled him over and asked for his permit to travel across town.
Not having a permit, and being told a permit might take a month or more to acquire, Wade was grounded.
After discussing the situation with his friends, they devised a plan for a late-night mission. The next night (or early morning) at 2 a.m., Wade and friends commandeered a team of horses to help pull the Pullman car to its resting place on the corner of East Ninth and Bridge streets. When the sun rose and law enforcement officers inquired how the Pullman car made it across town, Wade played dumb. Without proof, the matter soon became part of local lore.
Wade set up his business, known then and today as “Wade’s Diner.”
Throughout the nearly nine decades of its existence, Wade’s Diner has had a storied history from the very beginning.
The Wade’s of 2025 barely resembles the structure of the original diner — save for its arched ceiling in the front named for the original owner. But it has evolved. And its menu is better than ever serving comfort food they began slinging in 1937 when it was only breakfast. True to its early years, the menu today remains breakfast only from 6 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday; 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday.
“As far as the best menu item, it’s still the ham and cheese omelet with cinnamon raisin bread,” said Wade’s manager and server Tracy Straight. “We bake our bread right here.”
In the 1970s and ‘80s, Wade’s Diner was open 24 hours and was a regular stop for men and women working shifts at the nuclear facilities on the outskirts of town. The around-the-clock hours meant the diner could be just as busy in the middle of the night as it was in the morning. It also was a favorite spot for early morning fishers and hunters wanting to start the day with a hearty breakfast, as well as late-night carousers not ready to call it quits after spending time in the Oswego bars. It was surprising if one drove by Wade’s in the morning and a long, snaking line out the door wasn’t present.
“There used to be a lot more workers when the nuclear plants were being built in the ‘70s and ‘80s,” Straight explained. “Now, we get a lot of college students and families, a lot of people going to their camps heading to the lake. We get a lot of locals.”
When an electrical fire ripped through the iconic Oswego landmark and restaurant in August 2015, the question arose: Is this the end?
“It was a pretty bad day,” Straight said. “It was an electrical fire. I’ll never forget that smell.”
But, there was never a doubt they would reopen.
“At the time, the owner asked us — my husband is the cook — and we gave our word that we would stay. And we did.”
Straight has been the front and center face at Wade’s for the last 22 years.
And while the clientele and structure may have changed since its early days, old-timers in the city still recall the jukebox, French fries and gravy, as well as the late-night pub crawlers. Today’s regulars also come from as far as Rochester, Buffalo, California and even Central America.
“We get people from all over the place,” Straight proudly proclaimed. “We have regulars that moved to Oswego from Honduras, regulars from California who come a couple times a year. They come and you know their order.
“I never write anything down. That’s what makes them feel special, remembering them, calling them by name, knowing what everybody wants, great service.”
That’s part of the charm of this “old school” diner that hearkens back to the way it was when it first opened. People also come to watch the cooks do their magic on the grills upfront.
“Some call it a show and a well-oiled machine,” Straight laughingly explained. “Some people call it madness. We call it organized chaos.”
As the diner enters its slow season from November through early spring, Wade’s caters to mostly locals. In the spring when the snow has melted, like buds on the trees and flowers in the ground, the diner also slowly blooms back to its rousing atmosphere.
Straight will welcome her friends back from warmer climes, people ready to open their camps, race fans and others.
“When I first started, I didn’t know anybody that came through those doors,” Straight explained. “Today, I have thousands of friends from all over the place, across the country and world. That’s pretty cool.”
Wade’s Diner always has been a morning tradition for people, a meeting place, a conversation piece, a place to start your day. Straight considers the people she works with and serves as family and succinctly summed up the question: What would Oswego be without Wade’s Diner?
“It would be sad. Without Wade’s Diner, people would go to the next place that pretty much doesn’t know their name or their order. They would just be a customer.”
Tom and Jerry Caraccioli are freelance writers originally from Oswego, who have co-authored three books: “STRIKING SILVER: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team,” “BOYCOTT: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” and “Ice Breakers.”
