(Credit: Pedro Wolf, 2022)
Route 50 Diner owner Brian Hyra stands in front of a wall of photos and veteran paraphernalia.
Ballston Spa is a town rich with veteran’s history. On Low Street stands a war memorial in honor of those who served from Milton, Ballston, and Malta. Along Milton Ave, banners can be found honoring locals who served.
And then there is the Route 50 Diner, a Ballston Spa mainstay for the veteran’s community. It sits in a strip mall near the curve on Route 50 where Doubleday Avenue turns into Milton Avenue.
Owner Brian Hyra, who took on the restaurant from his father following his passing last October, remains committed to creating a community for those who have served.
“Soldiers are everything. EMTs, firefighters, union. Everybody, citizens. The people are great around here,” Hyra said.
After a career in restaurants across the capital region, Hyra’s father opened Route 50 Diner in 2016. Though the past few years have been a challenge, Hyra has fostered a loyal customer base.
“COVID was pretty tough. But my father stayed open,” Hyra said. “We tried supporting everybody. We weren’t making money, but we were staying afloat for the customers. People came in every day, getting their food to go.”
Above all else, Hyra gives thanks to a community which has kept coming back to his restaurant time and time again.
He says regulars come from as far as Queensbury and Corinth on a regular basis.
“You don’t know how many regulars come every day - every single day. People who if they don’t come in for a few days, we give them a call to make sure they’re doing okay.”
Open for breakfast and lunch only, the diner is bedecked with Veteran and military paraphernalia, but the pictures are the thing. The walls of the diner are covered in pictures of veterans, especially local veterans.
“Customers tell the stories, or they point out a family member. Some days, they drop a picture off. We put it up. We’re always looking for more pictures of soldiers,” he said.
For Hyra, these pictures are not just a tribute to the community, but a catalog of its history.
“People come in, they say ‘That’s my Grandson!’ A lot of people don’t know the history," Hyra said. "The pictures can get lost. Some people just don’t know, but somebody’s always involved, somehow.”