Business & Tech

Miss Cranston Diner Plans to Rebuild

After a fire destroyed a beloved city landmark, its owners are beginning the process of rebuilding — at a different location.

The owners of Miss Cranston's Diner will appear before the Site Plan Review Committee on Wednesday to continue their discussion of plans to rebuild the diner at 786 Oaklawn Ave.

In addition, the owner hopes to add a 30 foot by 32 foot addition to the back of the structure to provide for a 60 seat restaurant.

The plans also include landscaping and other adjustments to the 18,516 square foot property at 786 Oaklawn Ave.

The diner was destroyed by a fire in March

The restaurant, which was located at 1224 Oaklawn Ave.,  is owned by Lavon Toumasian, who bought the diner six years ago and gave it a facelift. After the fire, he vowed to rebuild and open again as soon as possible.

The Miss Cranston Diner is a cultural and culinary landmark. Originally a Worcester lunch car, the restaurant has a more-than 60-year history which includes being the inspiration for the failed 1992 sitcom, "Better Days," by former Cranston resident Dan Reo.

Located on Route 5, the Miss Cranston Diner is hard to miss. The name harkens to an earlier time when roadside diners were associated with rough-and-tumble men. Decorated with flowers at each table and a femininely-appointed decor, the name was meant to draw a kinder, gentler clientele.

In his younger days, Toumasian was a professional soccer player in Armenia, which was a part of the former U.S.S.R. at the time. Before taking over the Miss Cranston, Toumasian was a chef at Wes' Rib House in Providence and ran the Pawtuxet Village Inn in the 1990s

Along with the Cranston location, the Toumasian family operates the Miss Cranston II in West Warwick.


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