Regulars were greeted by a pair of new faces and a reassuringly familiar menu when the famous Pitstop cafe on the A96 reopened its doors following a change in management.
Roy Minty handed over the keys to the instantly recognisable bus-based diner to married couple Katie and Kenny Meldrum after he retired last month.
And despite Mr Meldrum having more than 20 years of experience as a head chef, nothing has been taken off the menu or changed too dramatically.
Mrs Meldrum said: “I think people were expecting us to change it to a vegan, Michelin-starred bus, but actually we’ve just taken the amazing dishes Roy’s built over the years and pushed it forward a little bit, evolved it I guess.
“That’s how the regulars have taken it today, they’ve realised we’re not trying to do anything different. We’ve just added things and put our own twist on it.”
Those regulars were introduced to the couple by Mr Minty’s granddaughter Faye, who used to work alongside her granddad at the Pitstop.
Former English teacher Mrs Meldrum said: “We really wanted Roy’s clientele back, for them to know it was more or less still the same set-up.
“We had some new customers as well, people who were taking pictures and putting them on our Facebook page.
“We’ve had lovely feedback, it’s just been a great first day.”
‘All the classics’ still offered
Among the classics that remain on the menu are the legendary massive breakfast that was showered with praise by the P&J’s own Julia Bryce and Karla Sinclair during their review last month.
Mrs Meldrum said: “We’ve added things and we’ve not even got a full menu on for what we’ve planned.
“We’ll take on board people’s opinions, but equally we have to remain true to ourselves and our vision for the bus.
“There’s a few new things, but all the classics are there, and people have said things like there’s no onions or fried bread – there is, we’re just not putting it on the menu.
“If you ask, if we can accommodate we’ll definitely do it.”
The Pitstop can be found on the eastbound side of the A96, just west of Pitcaple.