Fosters Shady Acres Diner: 50’s nostalgia in a down-home apocalyptic cafe

Shady Acres Diner on Danielson Pike in Foster, Rhode Island, has been a long-time staple with fun, nostalgic ambiance. Offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner to locals and travelers alike, everyone is family here!

“We survived COVID, having bought the diner from the original owners just a few months before COVID hit,” says proprietor Desi Wolf. Having prior restaurant experience didn’t help her and husband Mike prepare for a global pandemic, but they made the best of it, taking that time to renovate.

“We had to quickly figure out, ‘How are we going to function, how are we going to make money, what are we going to do?’ So we decided we would utilize the takeout window. I went online and purchased a neon sign— Apocalypse Café, a direct result of COVID.” Loyal customers did the rest, keeping it alive. It wasn’t always smooth sailing…

When Shady’s opened under the new management, locals complained about a change in the coffee, and
some of the beloved menu being cut; but raved the quality of the food was taken to the next level.

Open every Wednesday-Sunday, it tends to be a favorite weekend breakfast spot. You’ll love their cool 1950s décor, says Wolf of the furnishings, “The great thing about Shady’s is it’s Americana. We can do whatever we want! It can be anything — there are no restrictions, so it’s fun!”

There’s an entire side panel to an antique Corvair on one wall, and also an “Apocalypse Car” grille hanging above the kitchen’s grille window, which will be featured in an upcoming AMC horror series, NOS4A2, expected to debut next summer.

This series was adapted from a mystery/thriller written by Joe Hill, the son of renowned horror author Stephen King. Although the setting takes place in Haverhill, MA, filming took place in various locations across RI, including a carhop scene in Shady Acres Apocalypse Café. Pronounced Nosferatu, the series follows a young New England woman named Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings), who uses her supernatural abilities to track the show’s villain, Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto). Manx feeds off the souls of children before depositing them in a place called Christmasland (filmed at Goddard Memorial State Park), a deviant place out of Manx’s imagination where every day is Christmas, and unhappiness is
outlawed!

“There are scenes from Iowa and Colorado in the show, and RI doubles for those as well,” said RI Film and Television Executive Director, Steven Feinberg, in a previous interview. “It’s the smallest state with the biggest backlot.”

“We’re delighted to be in Rhode Island,” said showrunner Jami O’Brien, who adapted the book to television. “We’d been considering filming in Vancouver, Canada when someone suggested RI.”
“You have so many different looks here without driving too far,” adds Lauren Corrao, co-president of Tornante Television, who brought the show to AMC. “Rhode Island serves as Colorado, Iowa cornfields, Kansas and some fantasy places too. We’ve filmed in every corner of the state.”

In the modern/realistic arena, here at Shady Acres you’ll see wistful photos of old customers on the wall, alongside the gleaming smiles of new customers too.

“Sometimes people say they want their photo to be on the wall!” says Wolf. “And that’s what I want it to be, just a fun community that people can kind of rally around.” And it is!

The food’s great too. If you like homemade corned beef hash, you must try the to-die-for hash Benedict. Just sayin’! •