Lussier Photography

Chubby’s

I really love diners. There is nothing like eating a greasy big breakfast in a classic Worcester Dining Car restaurant. I also like photographing old abandoned buildings. The other day, those two worlds collided.

This little piece of Americana is located in Salisbury, Massachusetts, a couple of miles from the beach, near the highway on ramp.

I was in Portsmouth NH running an errand last week and decided to take the long way home. With camera, of course. Chubby’s was on my list of potential targets. I knew it had closed, but expected it to be re-opened by now. Not so.

The parking lot was filled with tractor trailer beds. Storage containers were stacked behind the building. It was pretty clear that the property was being transformed to some kind of storage, or freight transfer station. I almost kept driving.

Instead, I pulled over and walked around. The front of the building was just clear enough of trucks for me to frame and grab this shot.

It was sad to see that Chubby’s is “NOT Opening Soon.” My family and I stopped there on the way home from the beach for lunch a few years ago. The food was good, and the portions huge. With a name like Chubby’s, I guess that’s a given.