Lubbock Misses Home Plate Diner
Home Plate Diner may have closed its doors in Lubbock back in 2014, but the memories we made there will last forever.
I drove past an old Home Plate Diner location that has since been turned into a new business. I hadn't thought about that little piece of my childhood in a while and I was immediately flooded with memories of some of the best times I had as a kid.
I grew up playing softball, and our coach used to take us there every game we won. Our team was really good, and we even went on to play in the world series for our age division, meaning we ate at Home Plate Diner all the time. It was always fun to show up there with your whole team and see other teams eating there, too. The walls were covered in baseball memorabilia and the food was delicious.
The last time I was in one, I was 16, sitting in a comedy defensive driving class they held there, which was way less painful than the regular one.
At one point, Home Plate Diner was one of the most popular restaurants in town.
I made a Facebook post asking my friends to give me some of their best memories of this old iconic spot in town, and I received an overwhelming response within seconds, leading me to believe that you guys miss that place, too.
Here are a few of the memories they shared:
"It was every dad's favorite restaurant. It was the meetup after every sports game. For me? It was the games they had in the back room that I was obsessed with playing. Not to brag, but I was the claw machine queen." - Megan C.
"F*** I loved home plate diner. I would go and get chicken fried steaks with my uncle after he took me to get a haircut every other Thursday." - JJ H.
"We used to hold our Star Trek club meetings there." - Robert G.
"Every single dance recital from the age of 3 to 20 we would get chicken strips from there delivered to our dressing room" - Scarlet S.
"Their cobber was the BEST!" - Danielle N.
"Chicken fingers and curly fries with gravy after my little brother's little league games, and the checkered floor." - Jordan L.
"I was in love with baseball so a baseball-themed restaurant in walking distance to where we lived was probably a real win for 2 parents who had just moved their kids to a brand new place across the state." - Ben C.
I couldn't list all of the responses or I'd be here all day, but it seems like everyone is in agreeance over the stellar quality of the home-style cooking, especially their famous chicken fried steaks.
Other honorable mentions include: fried shrimp, chili, burgers, and several commented that the radio jingle is still alive and well in their minds. If you're feeling frisky and really missing all that yummy goodness, you can still eat at Home Plate Diner in Amarillo. Who wants to take a little road trip? No joke. I'm free Saturday.