BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Woolworth Luncheonette has served hungry Bakersfield customers classic burgers and fries since 1950.

“We enjoyed it in the past. I’ve grown up with Woolworth’s. I used to love the diner,” said Lake Isabella resident, Vickie Stacy.

Woolworth’s first lunch service on Monday saw a line of people out the door excited to see what the luncheonette has to offer. Stacy came down to Bakersfield for an appointment but said she had to stop by Woolworth’s for one thing.

“Hamburger! What else,” she said laughing. “We wanted to see if they made any changes and what is coming up moving forward.”

She also shared what she hopes the new generation of Woolworth visitors take away since the opening.

“They need to know their roots. So many of the young people don’t understand that, and they need to know how things came about,” Stacy. “This was the start of something that was really great and I’m glad they’re keeping it.”

Woolworth’s and the attached coffee shop, Reverb, held their soft opening over the past few months. Regardless, the community has still been showing out strong.

“It’s just the community all coming out to support, showing people that, you know, even after five years of being closed, they’re still going to give it its support and, you know, Woolworth’s it’s a big part of Bakersfield history,” said volunteer Jordan Baeza at Saturday’s Woolworth block party.

In Sept. 2021, longtime Bakersfield residents Emily and Sherod Waite bought the building hoping to keep its hip 1950s vibe open for the community.

Dennis Leva, who was enjoying lunch, was ready to see the new renovations at the grand opening.

“You know, they left a lot of stuff alone, especially the big sign. That’s a blessing there, but it’s going to be Bakerfield. So that’s the main thing, is they tried to keep it Bakersfield,” he said.

19th street was full of some retro fun over the weekend for the grand opening block party. Kern County bands played on stage and close to 60 vendors lined the streets, selling everything from antiques to vinyl records. The main event was trying to get a table inside the luncheonette.

Hundreds lined up to get a taste of the classic diner food with the line wrapping down the street.

Baeza described how long people were waiting to get inside the luncheonette. “People have been here waiting, I overheard a lady say she’s been waiting 2 hours to get in,” he said with a large line of hungry customers behind him.

Official hours for the luncheonette are being finalized but it’s been opening for lunch around 11 a.m. The historic building is also looking for some cool cats to join their staff.

You can find more information on how to apply at @historicwoolworths on Instagram.

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