Since co-founding Silver Diner in Rockville, Maryland, in 1989, chef Ype Von Hengst has helped redefine the classic American diner. Alongside his business partner, Bob Giaimo, Von Hengst set out to create a space that balanced nostalgia with innovation, serving high-quality food in a welcoming, family-friendly environment. Over the last 35 years, Silver Diner has grown into a beloved regional brand, with 24 locations across Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., plus spinoffs including Silver New American Brassiere — an upscale, modern twist on Silver Diner — and Silver Social, a trendy, bar-focused version. Known not only for its menu, the brand is also recognized for its commitment to community, employee growth, and evolving with the times.

In this conversation with ICSC Small Business Center contributing editor Rebecca Meiser, Von Hengst details Silver Diner’s evolution, from its whirlwind opening days to its lasting impact on both guests and employees. He reflects on the challenges of scaling recipes overnight, the importance of fostering employees’ career growth and the lessons he’s learned over more than three decades in the restaurant industry.

What was your vision for Silver Diner when you and Bob Giaimo founded the restaurant?

When we started, there weren’t many family-friendly restaurants that also served high-quality food. I had spent a lot of time in New York diners, and there was something special about them: the idea that you could walk in and have everything you want at one time. You see everyone in diners — young and old and in-between. We loved that sense of community [and the] idea of a diner being a place where people congregate.

[To refine our vision] we actually went on a tour of over 100 diners across the U.S. Some were a little more upscale with nicer entrees, some specialized in breakfast 24/7 and others had full bars. We thought: “Let’s take the best parts and put them in a new package.” We knew we needed a big menu, because that’s what diners are all about, but we knew we couldn’t do 300 items well. We focused on a menu that offered variety while maintaining quality. Now people really love out heart-healthy and vegan options. Working with local farmers is one of the biggest changes we have [made] over the past 14 or 15 years.

Were you successful as soon as you opened?

From day one. The line never stopped; we had people wrapped all around the building. Meanwhile, I was sweating. The recipes I had for making six meat loaves we had to blow up to make 60 meat loaves. In the beginning, we were making and slicing our own fresh bread. Then all of a sudden we couldn’t do that. I had to find great bakers who gave me sliced bread. We had to convert all the recipes to larger quantities and suddenly scale.

Why do you think the concept worked so well?

We had found a niche. When we said we were kid friendly, we were really kid friendly. For instance, there was a changing table [in the men’s bathroom]. That sort of element might be normal now. But not then.

We really tried to accommodate everyone. For example, we offered beer and wine because if a group of five or six dined with us and one person wanted [a drink], they might feel excluded if it wasn’t available. We never wanted anyone to feel excluded.

Were you open 24/7 at the beginning?

No, we never did that. Actually, over the last 35 years we have been shrinking our operating hours. It used to be that we were open till 2 or 3 a.m. Now we only do that in some of our locations that are really busy. We found over the years that people are going out less [at night]. We always watched out for the quality of life of our associates and managers as well. If you come home at 6 or 7 o’clock in the morning, you don’t have a great quality of life. 

You’re known for fostering employee growth, having team members advancing from entry-level positions to roles in operations and strategy. Was that intentional?

I could give you a hundred examples of that. We just had a two-day goal-setting session for the year, sitting around a table with our area directors and our new CEO. Almost without exception, everyone there had been with us for 10 to 28 years.

Take Baba, for example. He’s in his 50s now and came to us from Senegal. He started as a dishwasher, not speaking any English. We provided him with English classes, and now he speaks fluently and oversees six or seven restaurants as an area director. Our CEO, Glenn D’Amore, joined the company straight out of college at 21 or 22, completed our management training program, and worked as a kitchen manager, general manager and operating partner before becoming a director. Now he runs the entire organization.

So yes, this was absolutely by design. We set out to build a company that would create futures for people. I remember 36 years ago, driving back from a design meeting with Bob and talking about the kind of business we wanted to build. He asked me: “What’s really important to you?” And I told him: “When I step away from this, I want to be able to say I created a future for as many people as I could.”

What advice would you give someone looking to start a restaurant?

[First], make sure that you’re properly financed. There will always be surprises. We raised $3 million in the beginning to open three restaurants. The first took a big chunk of that, so we had to go ask for more money from the bank. Second, take care of your staff and create a culture of care within your four walls — one where people want to come to work because they know you stand for something. Your employees should feel that you are invested in their future, and that you stand by your words and vision. That’s the only way that you can really be successful long term.

On a fun note, you won an episode of the Food Network’s Chopped in 2017. What did you take from that experience?

It taught me a couple of things. I always had the confidence. I showed that age is not a barrier. It’s a blessing because you get more confidence with age. I was up against [people who were] younger than me. But experience matters in staying cool and collected.

At the time, my wife had just recuperated from cancer, and she said: “If you win Chopped, can we do something great with that money?” I said: “First of all, don’t say ‘if’ I win Chopped. You should say ‘when’ I win Chopped.” When people ask me what I enjoyed most about the show, it’s that I won $10,000. [My wife and I added $10,000 to make it] $20,000, which we gave to Doctors Without Borders. My wife actually went to Greece for a couple of months helping refugees [as part of the humanitarian organization’s efforts].

For a short time we had the winning dessert, fig beignets with fig and ginger ice cream, on the menu at Silver in Bethesda, [Maryland].