Bojangles Diner closes the door on decades of nostalgia
Sandi Gipe, who has been a server at Bojangles Diner in Kalispell for nearly 30 years, delivers an order to patrons inside the restaurant on Thursday, Dec. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Owner Tena Bowen rings up a customer after a meal at Bojangles Diner in Kalispell on Thursday, Dec. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Brielle Hammer's 1-year-old daughter Oakli plays with the jukebox as they wait for a table with Hammer's mother Alex Engler at Bojangles Diner in Kalispell on Thursday, Dec. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Elvis Presley and Betty Boop figurines at the entrance to Bojangles Diner in Kalispell on Thursday, Dec. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Longtime chefs Jeanine Jerome and Kris McEwen, who is the son of owner Tena Bowen, prepare meals in the kitchen at Bojangles Diner in Kalispell on Thursday, Dec. 19. McEwen has worked as a chef at Bojangles for nearly 20 years while Jerome has 10 years of service. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Patrons walk into Bojangles Diner in Kalispell on Thursday, Dec. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Memorabilia hangs on a wall above a table at Bojangles Diner in Kalispell on Thursday, Dec. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
A framed picture of American actor, tap dancer and singer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson hangs above a table at Bojangles Diner in Kalispell on Thursday, Dec. 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Chef Kris McEwen places orders in the window at Bojangles Diner in Kalispell on Thursday, Dec. 19. McEwen, son of owner Tena Bowen, has worked as a chef at Bojangles for nearly 20 years. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Plates filled with classic 1950s diner food being served up while the music of the same era plays on the jukebox, combined with memorabilia filling the walls, create the nostalgic staple that has been Bojangles Diner for decades.
“The main point has always been community,” said owner Tena Bowen. “Bojangles is just a building and without the community, you have just an empty building. [These people have] been my world for all these years.”
Today, Dec. 22, the Kalispell restaurant officially closes its doors for the last time after over 30 years of operation.
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