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First look inside the Melrose Diner, reopening Wednesday morning with a 12-hour discount

That kitschy mural of old-time Philadelphia is still there.

Waitress Rebecca Salyer, who previously worked at Broad Street Diner, at her new home, Melrose Diner.
Waitress Rebecca Salyer, who previously worked at Broad Street Diner, at her new home, Melrose Diner.Read moreMICHAEL KLEIN / Staff

Sept. 11 marks the return of the landmark Melrose Diner at 15th Street and Snyder Avenue after a fire in late July.

The day before, owner Michael Petrogiannis and staff were tidying up, setting up the computer system, and training. The 24-hour diner will see its first customers at 8 a.m. and will offer a 50% discount on food for the first 12 hours — the “surprise” that he alluded to during an interview last week.

Petrogiannis said that the damage was more extensive than first believed and that the dining-room ceiling had to be replaced. As it is made of stainless steel, the work and fabrication were complicated, he said.

He said smoke was noticed in a far corner of the dining room, on the Snyder Avenue side.

» READ MORE: One-alarm fire shuts Melrose Diner

The dining room looks pretty much as it did before, a mix of old-time South Philadelphia kitsch and a few gaudy 21st-century touches, such as bold wall lighting that changes colors.

During the shutdown, he offered jobs to Melrose employees at his other diners, particularly at the Broad Street Diner at Broad and Ellsworth Streets.

A few waitresses left in the interim, so one Broad Street waitress — Rebecca Salyer — will get her big break. She’s now at the Melrose.