(Enlarge) Gary Lane, part owner of Plum Crazy Diner in Westminster, says the restaurant has found a winning combination with its 1950s atmosphere and affiliation with Twin Kiss. (Staff photo by Nate Pesce)

Perhaps it was a crazy move, but Gary Lane and his business partner John Rice decided several years ago to knock down the old Twin Kiss building in Westminster -- which had stood since the 1950s, and start all over.

"We had a restaurant and tore it down to build another restaurant," Lane laughs.

"We must be crazy," he adds. "We're plum crazy."

The partners realized it was a local landmark, but the old building on the corner of Route 140 and Sullivan Road that housed the Twin Kiss wasn't worth renovating.

So they ordered a new one. In 1998, Plum Crazy Diner arrived in Westminster from Florida ... on nine flatbed trucks. The shining metal diner was assembled, and a new business was born in December 1998.

"It created a little excitement, a little bang," Lane said of the new building. "It's bigger."

In fact, both the size and restaurant's menu are bigger. Once serving only ice cream and a small selection of carry-out sandwiches, the diner's extensive menu now features everything from omelets and waffles to thick milkshakes and pasta dishes.

No matter what the time of day, most everything on the menu is available.

"The menu changes a little bit at a time, but the bulk of it remains the same," Lane says. "The specials will change more often."

Among the most popular of the diner's dishes are its turkey club sandwich and cheese steaks. The dishes featured on the children's menu are popular, too.

"The children's menu is available for anyone," Lane notes. "Smaller portions for children of all ages."

The Twin Kiss stand, too, is still popular, attached at the hip, so to speak, at one end of the diner building. Its menu includes sandwiches, but thrives on a selection of treats including sundaes, shakes, floats, flurries and snowballs (with marshmallow available). There's even a "Peanut Butter Fudge Boat."

As Westminster has grown, the restaurant population has, too. Lane admits that with today's gas prices and the economy, business can be tough.

"Every year another place seems to open up," Lane says. "There is only so much money to be spent and ... at $4 a gallon gas is not helping. Most restaurants are taking a little hit."

But he's not worried. After all, going to a diner to eat is almost like home cooking anyway, right?

Plum Crazy has a strong following, with many repeat customers -- some several times a day.

Bonnie Muller used to be a regular customer, but no more.

Now, she's the diner's hostess.

"I happened to be in here and they said I would be perfect for the job," Muller recalls. "I am a people person. I love it. I like the people. I like my co-workers and I like the food."

Lane has been in the business since age 16. While he has no plans to expand or open another Plum Crazy Diner, he enjoys the craziness of his one "baby."

"I don't know; it gets in your blood I guess," Lane says of the restaurant business. "It's very hectic. Everything is now, now, now and it can be very frustrating. A lot of people get burned out."

The diner plans to keep offering its varied menu for many years to come.

"We'll still be here. We're not a chain," Lane says. "We'll work a little harder."

Plum Crazy Diner (410-848-9288; plumcrazydiner.com) is located at 15 Baltimore Blvd. (Route 140) in Westminster, at Sullivan Road.

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