A Redfield resident is offering a family-friendly dining experience in a building that was previously vacant for several months.

Melissa Morrison opened Mel’s Diner on September 3rd at 904 1st Street in Redfield, where Harvey’s Diner and Pub was located prior to their move to Perry last November. Morrison has a love of working in the service industry, and when the space became vacant she thought it was a great opportunity to open her own restaurant and bring more business to Redfield. She also owns Simply Hair in Stuart.

Morrison has long had a personal connection with the space, as she worked there when it was the Dexfield Diner over a decade ago, and knew it as her grandparents Jack and Alice Macklin’s hardware store years before then, “I worked here in 2007 I believe, waiting tables. A and I’ve always waited tables, been in the service industry since I was 14, and this building became vacant and it was my grandma’s old hardware store so I thought I’d give it a shot.”

Family continues to be a throughline for Morrison, as she manages the restaurant with her sister Michelle Wells and has a full staff of family and friends. Morrison also thanks the friends and family who volunteered their time over the last couple months to help renovate, clean, and prepare the restaurant for its opening. For more information on Mel’s Diner, visit here.