Morin's Diner in Attleboro a 100-Year Tradition

Morin's Hometown Bar & Grille has been a staple for home-style food, in some form, for more than 100 years in Attleboro.

Started by J.B. Morin in 1911 and known to the masses as Morin's Diner, great-grandson William John Morin Jr. said he enjoys working at the restaurant because of the real connection he feels with the history of the business, the people and the city.

"To know that your grandfather, great-grandfather, your great-uncles all had a lot to do with what we're doing today, you take a lot of pride in that," he said. "This is something that they wanted to build and it's still getting carried on."

Morin said he started working at the restaurant like any other young person did—washing dishes, bussing tables and cleaning up. He said, at least since he's been here, Morin's hasn't changed much.

"I was young and usually in the dish room at that point, but the atmosphere is still the same," he said. "A lot of the core people have been around for a lot of years. It's more or less one big family."

Morin said while new foods and traditions are essential to keeping up in the business, this restaurant sticks to its principles of service and cooking.

"We've always kept our core values ... from what my father learned from his father from his father," he said.

Morin added that although the restaurant's core values are extremely important in the menu choices, they still change the selection about once every six months.

"I don't think 20 years ago my dad knew what buffalo chicken was, and now we have it on three or four different items," he said. "We still keep the core things around, but we keep up with trends we see at other restaurants as well ... You've got to stay trendy, but we also stick to what we're good at like meat pies and meat loaf."

Morin added that the people in the restaurant, employees and the customers, help to create the right atmosphere. He said when one has been around for this long, relationships are formed with the regulars.

"We have some servers that have worked here for 25 years and they develop relationships with the customers," he said.

The original eatery opened by Morin's great-grandfather was a 12-stool diner on Mill Street called the Franklin Diner. Now, Morin's has more than 250 seats and continues to grow.

Morin's is located at 16 South Main St. in Attleboro. It is open Monday and Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The bar does not close until 10 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday. Go here to see the restaurant's website.