Fuller's Restaurant chosen as best diner in Nebraska

Ladies and gentlemen of the McCook area, I would like you join me today in giving a great big round of appreciation to Val Fuller, the owner and manager of the only restaurant -- and one of the few businesses in the Golden Plains area -- to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and -- most impressively -- 365 days a year in most years and 366 days on leap years.

Because, you see, the Fuller's Family Restaurant at 110 Norris Avenue never closes. That record goes back many years, with only one terribly traumatic and thankfully short-lived exception -- the fire of July 20, 2013 which ruined the Fuller's eating place which had stood in the 200 block of West B street for more than 66 years.

But -- in fast-moving Fuller fashion -- the cafe re-opened less than a month later, on August 19, 2013 to be exact, at its new Norris Avenue location.

Val Fuller celebrates Independence Day wearing Fourth of July garb. Courtesy/Cristela Beltran

So, you wonder, why am I bringing all this up now? Well, I'll tell you. Like so many of us living in this Facebooked and Twittered world of the 21st Century, I found proof of what my family and I have been thinking for many years: In a national evaluation - recently announced on the Internet -- Fuller's Family Restaurant of McCook was selected as the Best Diner in Nebraska. That's right folks, the best!

The award selectors were lavish in their praise of Fuller's Family Restaurant, declaring, "This diner is a hidden gem, well-known only to locals in the area. Come for the Mexican breakfast and leave with a pecan pie made from scratch."

The compliments kept flowing, with the selectors also saying, "Who needs to come for dinner when you've got Fuller's Family Restaurant?"

To check out the selection of Fuller's and America's other outstanding diners, you will need to type out one of those long-winded website addresses. Here it is: http:/msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/restaurantsandnews/the-best-diner-in-every-state.

I was really happy when I heard of Fuller's recognition as Nebraska's best diner because I have been a long-time admirer of Val and his family's 70-year record of service to McCook and area residents and highway and railroad travelers.

Val - who turns 78 this fall - has been a part of the Fuller restaurant saga since the very beginning. "The folks started in the restaurant business at Bus's Cafe, which was located on the southeast corner of the 100 block of Norris Avenue, across the street from the Depot. I was only 8 at the time, but Dad and Mom put me and my brothers to work, sending us down to the basement to empty and peel large sacks of potatoes."

You would have thought that would have discouraged Val, but he stuck with it, starting a life-long food service career which was interrupted only by his years in the service.

Through the seven decades of restaurant work, Val has managed and cooked at Hoak's in Ogalalla, Michael's in Lexington and the Green Lantern in Elwood, Nebraska; truck stops in Salina, Linn, El Dorado and outside Wichita, Kansas; and at Jack in the Boxes, Denny's and truck stops in Waco, Dill and Grand Prairie, Texas.

To the benefit of the tens of thousands of customers who have been to Fuller's in McCook since Val's return in 1986, his truck stop days convinced him of two things: 1. Customers want a wide range of meal and dessert choices, and (2) Customers want generous servings.

Absolutely -- for certain -- that's what they get at Fuller's ... no matter what they order.

To get it all done, Val works a lot of hours, averaging over 70 hours per week ... even now as he edges closer to the 80's.

Thanks, Val, and thanks to your family. Fuller's Family Restaurant is a treasure for our town. We appreciate all that you and your family have done for McCook.