At Springfield Diner, you can get Turkish breakfast, or American breakfast and burgers

There's a restaurant in south Springfield that makes pancakes and hamburgers at the same time.

No, it's not a renamed IHOP touting its new burger line.

It's called Springfield Diner, and it opened about six weeks ago.

Omer Onder, the owner, said he serves American-style breakfast and lunch. One of the most popular items on the menu is a $7.59 "Farm Skillet" with hash browns, two eggs, sausage, onion, green pepper, eggs, toast and jelly.

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The diner also sells pancakes, biscuits and gravy, country-fried steak, omelets, hamburgers, salads and sandwiches. Nothing costs more than $8.59, according to a price list provided to the News-Leader. Oh, and there's a kid's menu: Two breakfasts priced $4.99.

Located at 1730 E. Republic Road, Springfield Diner is a seven-days-per-week operation, open 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The space fits exactly 42 people, according to the occupancy notice on the wall.

"I didn't want to open a really big, large place," Onder told the News-Leader Wednesday after lunch service. "We are trying to be family, friends, with our customers."

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Onder said he was inspired by television shows like "Friends," "Frazier" and "Cheers" because they feature cafes, coffee shops and bars where friends and family gather on a day-to-day basis.

The former journalist from Turkey has lived in the United States two years, he said.

After years spent writing about policy and politics in the Mediterranean basin, Onder learned the restaurant business at Florissant City Diner near St. Louis.

A friend who owns a trucking company convinced him Springfield was the place to open up his own restaurant.

Onder insists on the best quality products possible. "We are serving healthy breakfast, healthy diet," he said. "Really, I'm choosing the best product in the market, from coffee to vegetables to potatoes to eggs, everything, I try to choose the best ones."

It's not on the menu, but Onder serves customers Turkish breakfast if they request it. There's no need to call in advance.

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Not long after he opened, someone asked the mustachioed Onder, who likes to wear a black chef's toque hat, if he would sell Turkish breakfast.

"I can," he said, "but I'm not sure if people like Mediterranean or Turkish breakfast," he said.

As it turns out, they do. Springfield people have already reviewed it favorably on social media.

Turkish breakfast is similar to Greek breakfast or other Mediterranean breakfasts, combining plenty of fresh vegetables like cucumber, parsley and olives with "lots of kinds of cheeses," jellies and spiced (but not spicy-hot) sausage.

Onder noted that his mother is from Greece and his father is Turkish — from a family of Greeks who moved to Turkey 200 years ago.

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The countries are neighbors and share a similar climate and many food preferences.

"Greeks say, 'it’s our food,' and Turkey says 'it’s our food,'" Onder explained.

It's not exactly a friendly argument. The two countries share many ties (NATO membership, alliance with the United States) but are often at odds.

Onder said that friends back home are sometimes puzzled that he moved to a small city in the middle of the United States, but that it wasn't a hard sell. He loves it here, citing opportunities for kayaking as one thing he really likes.

He also loves talking up his hamburgers, having affixed a large "Best Burger" sign to his front door.

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Springfield Diner's customers, Onder said, have declared his burgers the best.

Laughing, Onder said, "A lady, 90 years old, she said, 'it's the best burger in my life. I was impressed.' I said, 'Are you serious, or just being kind?' She said she was really serious. It happened."

Find your way to Springfield Diner

1730 E. Republic Road, open seven days per week, 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

417-755-7382

Visit springfielddiner.net or search "Springfield Diner" on Facebook.

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