Cherry Hill, NJ… When Nina Yorker of Mt. Laurel, NJ learned that Ponzio’s – the Cherry Hill landmark diner and restaurant – was running a contest asking people to submit their favorite diner memory, she believed she had a great tale to tell. She was right. Her father-daughter prize winning story won her the “Ponzio’s People” eat-free-for-a-year gift card.
Yorker’s winning entry related the day she and her two gal pals skipped morning classes at Cherry Hill High School East in 1974 for a quick Ponzio’s stop for their favorite toasted cinnamon bun. The waitress informed them that their tab was being paid by the “man in the booth.” The man was Yorker’s father who promptly told her and her friends “to get their butts back to school.” That evening Yorker’s dad gave her a Ponzio’s credit card with one requirement οΎ– she and her friends have breakfast before school. And just to make sure, dad joined them. “To this day whenever I go to Ponzio’s with my own kids, I am flooded with great memories of my dad,” said Yorker.
For Yorker, the Ponzio’s gift card is also timely. She and her husband are currently unemployed. The gift card of $2,600 provides for a $50 dinner for two once a week for a year.
“We received hundreds of stories from our customers recalling first dates in the 1960’s to their children’s bridal shower to their grandchildren’s christenings here at Ponzio’s,” said Ponzio’s Partner, Chris D. Fifis, “Nina’s story resonates with a lot of people for whom Ponzio’s has been and continues to be tradition,” said Fifis.