Neighborhood Vibe at R’s Diner Makes Great Food and Service Even Better.

The R’s Diner is nestled into the middle of the Hitching Post Plaza. It’s kind of hard to find when you’re walking along the storefronts of this vibrant East Naples shopping center. It’s right beneath a small sign for a bygone restaurant, Nana Vetta's. But once you find The R’s Diner, it’s a good bet you’ll return. Again and again.

The story starts with Raymundo Hernandez, who was the cook at Nana Vetta’s over 20 years ago. In 2003 he bought the restaurant. Hernandez has kind eyes and a genuine personality. Remarkably, so does everyone else who serves the customers at R’s Diner.

"He ended up buying it and working under that name for a few years until he decided to change the name,” said Rosalba Hernandez, Raymundo’s daughter and one of the six R’s that comprise R’s Diner.

The other R’s are Ruffina, Raul, Ruby and Ruben.

To the customers, it starts with Ray and Rosa. Rosa manages the diner. Ray is usually cooking in the kitchen, along with Salvador Lopez, his brother-in-law.

The R’s diner is open for breakfast and lunch. It’s hard to say which is better. Both are excellent. They cover all the bases with four full pages of their menu dedicated to breakfast. Another three and a half pages cover the impressive lunch offerings. Sizzling fajita platters are quite popular. The chicken piccata, chopped sirloin (smothered with onions, mushroom, and gravy), and stir-fry also draw praise.

Customers seem as at home at R’s as they would in their own homes. Many of them have been frequenting the diner for decades.

Paula Dalton and Suzi Brouwer are sharing a table for two by one of the large front picture windows. Natural light illuminates the ladies as they talk quietly. Both have been coming to The R’s for a long time. Both have lost their husbands in recent years.

“We’ve been coming here for years,” Paula Dalton said. "We were coming here when it was known as Nana Vetta’s. Then it became the R’s. Great family, great food, hard workers. A nice place to eat."

Suzi Brouwer looked up and simply said, “Ditto.”

A regular eagerly enters the diner on his lunch break. He regularly treks across town from North Naples to enjoy sizzling fajitas. He gives specific instructions on how spicy he likes his fajitas and the type of tortilla he prefers. He even knows to cover his nose with a napkin when the smoking platter arrives—he likes it spicy.

Three ladies crowd up to the counter by the cash register to place their to-go orders on Sunday morning. One lady asks for "extra, extra, extra cheese” as part of her order.

A local parasail captain on Marco Island slips up to the counter to place his to-go order. Rosa already knows what the order’s going to be. But she politely asks if it’s the regular as she puts his favorite beverage down in front of him.

Marjie Tobey is effusive in her praise of the staff. The staff likes Marjie so well that they buy her presents. She said Raul Hernandez gave her a pair of slippers for Christmas. “The first pair of slippers I’ve ever had,” she says. Another staff member bought Marjie the necklace and earrings she happens to be wearing that morning.

"This is my favorite spot,” Marjie Tobey said. "I come here every day for breakfast. Not only do they have the most wonderful food, they’re wonderful people. I’m so blessed to be part of this place."

“A special thanks to our customers,” Raymundo Hernandez says humbly. "It was very tough at first, being a first-time business owner. But with hard work and dedication we made it. Our customers have been with us since the beginning up until the present time. They are the reason why our business is still going.”

The R’s is a rare blend of hard working, kind, and friendly staff members who seem to always work in harmony. Their contentment undoubtedly helps to create the happy vibe diners enjoy so much. 

Hard work and friendliness has paid off for the six R’s. Recent years have seen them open a successful Mexican Restaurant, La Sierra on Golden Gate Parkway and another R’s Diner at 11985 Collier Boulevard in Naples. 

"Through our family working together,” Raymundo Hernandez said thankfully, "we have achieved so much."