Then again, as was noted early in the thread, the greasy spoon thing can go very wrong:
Chicago, about 1980, just below the Chicago-Evanston line: I was driving home from work, and noticed a sign for a new place, "Lisa's Cafe", so gave it a try.
I don't know how long the place had been abandoned before Lisa moved in, but it was hard to imagine how long since it had really been cleaned up, let alone how long since there had been paint of any identifiable color on the walls.
I think Lisa herself came to the counter to take my order, but I'm not certain; it may have been a lumberjack in drag, in a stained tee shirt. I ordered stew. Lisa paused a moment with the pencil, and said, "How du yu spell stew?"
I think the stew was a third rate canned product. There was one other customer, sitting talking to himself about getting out of an institution; whether released or escaped I wasn't sure.
When I drove by a few days later, Lisa was sitting in a chair outside, with a blackboard propped by her that said "Tired of the same old", then sketch of big steaming B.M, then "try Lisa's Cafe.
    No thanks, once was more than enough....