The Shrewsbury diner formerly known as Edgemere is on track to reopen as early as January, and town officials are hoping its new owner,

David Kupstas, can save it after years of neglect.

"It needs a good amount of work," Kupstas told selectmen Monday night. "It needs a lot of cleaning, a lot of elbow grease."

Under its new name, the Edge diner on Route 20 will serve only lunch initially, said Kupstas, who plans to add breakfast and dinner as soon as he can.

"Some of us like breakfast," said Maurice DePalo, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, who joined his colleagues in offering encouragement to Kupstas.

Selectmen voted unanimously to approve a food license as well as the contract for Kupstas to take over the town-owned property; he is paying $5,000 for the diner and $1,500 monthly to lease the land it sits on. Selectmen approved the license for seven days a week with hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Smiling, Town Manager Dan Morgado said he would cash the $5,000 check immediately. The first lease payment is due Saturday.

The diner has been vacant for more than two years, and it shows. Weeds are growing around the faded exterior. In some places, paint that was once bright red has washed out to a dull pink. A well-worn sign still reads "Lunch Special" and "Breakfast." Yet, peering through the windows, you can see the classic steel-trimmed stools guarding the requisite counter, where customers used to order a "Beat the House," a plate full of eggs, sausage, and home fries.

Successive boards of selectmen have been wrestling over what to do with the diner for 20 years, ever since the town acquired it via a court settlement on a tax lien case. In the past, successful operators couldn't be assured they would keep the diner, because they were offered only a short-term lease, and a new round of bidding opened every few years. After renting it out that way with mixed success, selectmen this year decided to sell the structure and lease the land for 20 years, as a way to give the operator some incentive to fix it up and invest in the business.

The first round of bids over the summer was unsuccessful. This fall, a second round attracted three offers, and Kupstas was chosen as the high bidder. Under the terms of the deal, Kupstas cannot remove the diner car without permission from the selectmen.

The Edgemere, a streamlined diner with chrome trim, was built by the Fodero Dining Car Co. of New Jersey in the 1940s. It enjoyed success in Shrewsbury during the '40s and '50s, and is still a source of nostalgia for longtime residents, several of whom Kupstas said have already contacted him.

Kupstas, who said he will work full time running the diner, will also get help from his brother Christopher and their father, Robert, a builder. The diner needs paint, new flooring, and other sprucing up, but the real work, said Kupstas, will be in upgrading the kitchen, which is in an addition attached to the back.

Kupstas has some food service experience, including about three years as a general manager for a Panera Bread bakery and cafe in Arlington, and said he is looking to preserve the feel of the original Edgemere that is so loved by neighbors.

"We want to keep the diner atmosphere," he said.

Selectmen are hoping he can make a go of it and preserve some Shrewsbury history, they said. Selectman John Lebeaux told Kupstas the board wishes him luck.

"There is a lot of enthusiasm in the community to preserve that diner," he said.

Originally published online here: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/11/25/lease_gives_life_to_old_favorite/