CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 39 Dear Lindy's, Forget about a golden anniversary. You surpassed that five years ago. Now going on the double nickels, you just keep getting finer with age. And more beloved, too. Your red-and-white sign has stood for decades as a beacon of sorts — calling out from the corner of Raeford and Marlborough roads to those craving comfort food or casual conversation in the 64-seat dining room. Nothing fancy, just good. When you're at your busiest, you remind us of Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the Food Network. Remnants of your early days as a true drive-in still greet us — in the form of corrugated steel canopies that have aged with character. Inside, waitresses call their favorite customers "Baby," and grill cooks have elevated the spatula to a finely tuned instrument. Opposite, looking through the Lindy's window before sunup; Above left, owner Pete Skenteris arrives at 5 a.m. to do prep work; Above right, longtime waitress Brittany Mendizabal serves breakfast, Oh, the beautiful click and clang of it all. When you're at your quietest — before the sun rises — we like to peer through your side windows and flash back to diner scenes from some of our favorite movies. e ones where two guys are always plotting their next move over plates of eggs and piping hot coffee. ("Now hand me the sugar shaker.") Speaking of sweet deals, is your breakfast special still just $8.99, like the neon sign on the window says? at's for two hotcakes or french toast with bacon, ham or sausage and a couple of eggs. Oops, it's gone up to $9.99. But it's a bargain, nonetheless. "Breakfast all day," the sign promises. For the uninitiated, the doors open at 6 a.m. and you better get here before the 3 p.m. closing time Monday through Saturday — and 2 p.m. on Sunday. You used to stay open for dinner, but COVID kind of changed some things. Made owner Pete Skenteris rethink some things — like spending more time with family. He still can't believe that he once worked 20 hours a day, seven days a week. Now he's down to about 11 hours a day, arriving at 5 a.m. to do the prep work. "I still don't take a day off," says Pete, 47, with a boyish smile. "Just call me Pete" grew up working in restaurants. It's what he knows and loves. He earned his biology degree from Methodist University with intentions of becoming a dentist, but he just couldn't shake the family business. If we created a chart of all his relatives who have owned or worked in local restaurants, it would take up an entire wall. His beloved late father and uncle, siblings, cousins, a nephew right there in the Lindy's kitchen. e list goes on.

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