The dream came true for Natasha Martz and her father, Kieth Martz, when they opened Lil' Daddy's Downtown Diner.
The restaurant, which opened Sept. 14, is a new addition to the downtown Muncie businesses, offering traditional homemade food.
Natasha Martz said the restaurant is a "casual family diner type."
"Our roots are in just simple values," she said. "Customer satisfaction, good old home cooking; and that speaks for itself."
Natasha Martz said the restaurant's target audience is Ball State students and workers in the area. Because of this, they offer a variety of food, low prices and a free campus and downtown delivery service, Martz said.
"We thought that there might be students that miss the home cooking," she said.
Lil' Daddy's is located in the same building as the retired bar "The Spot." Martz said the main clientele who went to the bar years ago were working class men.
"The spot used to be very bare and basic, there were no tables, just the diner, and men would wait for a stool to be available," she said. "I love that the building has its history."
Heather Dobbs, a friend of Martz who helps with the maintenance of the restaurant, said it has been busy in the past days.
"People like it, they are very pleased with the food," she said. "We've been getting positive feedback."
Chad Harris, a Muncie resident, ate at Lil' Daddy's for the first time on Monday.
"It's great a restaurant like this opened downtown," he said. "There isn't anything here, and I think we really needed it."
Harris said Lil' Daddy's had the qualities of a good restaurant, and he is looking forward to going back soon.
"It has a friendly environment, it's clean and well lit," he said. "The food is really good for a decent price."
Like other local businesses, Lil' Daddy's is waiting for Ivy Tech to open and expects an increase in sales once students start attending the new downtown location.
Martz said she is planning to open the back area of the restaurant and add more tables to accommodate special events.
Right now, the restaurant is open on weekdays for breakfast and lunch. Martz said that, depending on the demand, Lil' Daddy's might open on evenings and Saturdays too.
Randy Martin, a Muncie resident and friend of Martz, said the restaurant and other local businesses could face difficulties because not many people go downtown to eat.
"But [the downtown area] is better than it used to be," he said. "It's maybe not like we would like it to be, but I've seen a big improvement in the area."
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