By JOHN CARLSON
jcarlson@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE — Lil’ Daddy’s Downtown Diner has a big challenge to meat, er, meet.

Located at 118 N. Walnut St., it’s in the site of the old Spot diner, a legendary eatery hereabouts that, in recent years, has seen owners come and go as though through a revolving door.

Natasha Martz, who co-owns the newly reincarnated restaurant with her dad, Keith Martz, said that’s not going to happen with them.

“It’s wonderful,” she said of the place, which has an ambiance that’s far more attractive than in The Spot’s smoky heyday, when it was the daily haunt of local power brokers and more than a few back-room gamblers. “We’ve got so many repeat customers already. … Our atmosphere is casual, family oriented. We like to get on a first-name basis with a lot of our customers.”

As Natasha talked, some customers were seated at tables, and others at the counter, while the cooks were busy back by the grill.

Before this venture, the Wapahani High School graduate worked for First Merchants Bank with food service and hospitality, learning the business from the ground up. Keith, in turn, is a local businessman whose résumé also includes stints in the restaurant business.

They figure that makes theirs a winning partnership.

“We’ve talked about it for some time,” he said, admitting these days aren’t the best for launching a new business. “It’s scary, and exciting at the same time.”

Natasha agreed.

“When you’ve had a dream,” she said, “you’ve got to make a go of it.”

Open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Lil’ Daddy’s has a breakfast menu that includes pancakes, French toast, biscuits and gravy, a “You Name It” breakfast sandwich and a variety of three-egg omelets, a couple of which were being enjoyed by the lunchtime diners.

The Chow Hound crew?

We went for more typical luncheon fare. Photographer Chris Bergin ordered a bacon cheeseburger that, at $4.50, looked huge and delicious. Videographer Lathay Pegues, meanwhile, went for the jumbo breaded tenderloin at $4.95, and enjoyed it, but couldn’t finish it.

At least, not along with his fries.

Me? Still weaning myself from anything served in a bun after our “10 Burgers in 10 Days” odyssey, I decided to try something that would give me practice at eating with a fork again. Consequently, I went for the meatloaf, which was the special of the day for $5.25.

The bad news? I kept poking myself in the face.

Ha-ha. Just kidding.

In fact, I got used to my fork right away, which was good, since Lil’ Daddy’s waitress Holly Gibson served me a hunk of tomato-saucy, green-pepper laced meatloaf that was as delicious as it was big. On the side, meanwhile, were buttery green beans with pieces of ham mixed in, and mashed potatoes — real ones, mind you — with a dark, tasty gravy.

It was a great dinner, and as down-home as food gets.

Nachos to die for

By the way, the loaded nachos at $5.25 were another head-turner, one that Lathay nearly forsook his beloved breaded tenderloin for.

At the counter, Heather Dobbs was happily putting away her pie-like tin of meaty nachos, beautifully topped with a thick layer of melted cheese. So, I wondered, was this the first time she’d ordered it?

“Are you kidding me?” she replied.

Guess she’d had it before.

Other items on the menu, by the way, include BLT and ham and cheese sandwiches, salads, chicken wings, and daily specials including beef and noodles and baked steak.

There are also desserts. In fact, while walking out, the triple fudge chocolate cake listed on the blackboard so diverted my attention, I nearly knocked some poor diner off his counter stool.

Anyway, a couple of other things we should note about Lil’ Daddy’s Downtown Diner are that it will host special after-hours events, having done so for the likes of Muncie Civic Theatre, and that they also offer free delivery downtown from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

It’s this sort of service, coupled with good home cooking at reasonable prices, that the Martzes hope with give Lil’ Daddy’s the same kind of longevity that The Spot once enjoyed.

“We’re hoping,” Keith said.

“Fingers crossed,” Natasha added with a laugh, “and full steam ahead.”