If there is an in-law lottery, I won it. Jamie Langley, the owner of Right Fork Diner, is my sister in law.
If there is an in-law lottery, I won it. Jamie Langley, the owner of Right Fork Diner, is my sister in law.
I was blessed to enjoy Jamie’s cooking before she opened her restaurant, when she made beer battered fish for a Friday night family dinner. To this day it is one of my favorite meals.
In 2007, a few years later, during her first summer as proprietor of the Right Fork Diner, my husband and I hosted our wedding rehearsal dinner there. We would become one of the few couples who could say that. As time went on there were many rules and committees having a say about how this little diner could be run.
But Jamie understood this process and as the years went by she rolled with it and adapted. For 15 years, she provided breakfast, lunch and dinner to thousands of people. Maybe if she did the math it would reach 100,000 mouths fed. In the Langley clan alone there are over 20 people. Add Jamie’s family and my Brown family and it gets close to 70 people.
For years, I would call my mother and say “I am picking you up and we are on our way to the Right Fork Diner for breakfast,”
Her reply: “Oh goody, goody.”
Jamie didn’t just wave her magical wand and conjure the Right Fork Diner out of thin air. She and her family have worked tirelessly in so many ways.
In her 20s, Jamie was a staple waitress at Chescas in Edgartown. In her 30s and newly married, she worked in the school system in West Tisbury. Then, in her late 30s, she and her husband, Merrill, started a family. One of those babies was the Right Fork Diner.
Balancing her growing family with her investment in the restaurant, Jamie slowly created a place that became an Island staple for summer memories. People would ride their bikes from miles away and wait over an hour and a half to eat there. Our family knew not to try and eat there between July and August, but sometimes we had no choice because we wanted that memorable experience as well. And so we waited in line for it, like everyone else.
As Jamie’s sister in-law, I have an insider’s perspective on her deep commitment to her patrons. Each year she made the diner more beautiful, with plants, tables, new cushions and even games for those long wait times. During the summer of 2019 she invested in new furniture. With her attention to detail, she even figured out how to house her wonderful staff.
And last year, during the pandemic, she was able to adapt the restaurant for her loyal customer base. She provided comfort when we all needed it most.
Sadly, this summer we will not be able to feel Jamie’s thoughtful, family-friendly and heartwarming touch. Like the trees in the forest, this is yet another uprooting of an Island gem.
Farewell Jamie and the Right Fork Diner family. Thank you for helping us make so many happy memories.
Lisa Brown Langley lives in Edgartown
Comments
Dear Jamie, The Right Fork
Michael Brisson EdgartownDear Jamie, The Right Fork Diner is where I always took my outstanding staff members for a well deserved one on one lunch, My children on Sunday mornings, my brothers and sisters and good off-island friends when they visited. RFD is one of only a few dining destinations I would frequent in the hub-bub of a MV summer. It was that worth it. Jamie and her team (even her brother & sister) always made it worth the wait, recognized you and made so many feel her special touch. I will never forget all the memories made with you and the RFD. l'etoile staff parties, sitting at the Rail with Nicole, my reunion with my boys. And always seeing many restaurant owners on Sunday mornings! As a fellow restauranteur on the Island, I know how hard it is and how something is going wrong, breaking or someone no-shows. You would never know it! I was always impressed by Jamie's obsession to continually grow and improve the diner, the food, the little and big things. I have been going to the diner since it was Mel's then Hoozies. I liked it then. But, jamie (and her husband Merrill) constantly improved and expanded the offerings and setting. Bravo Jamie and all the staff that worked and grew up there these past 15 years. You set a high bar. It will be a long while before the diner shines the way you made it shine. We all say thank you. You did a delicious feat and we all were the better for it. The RFD and You will be missed in Katama!
Jamie, I too say thank you
John Aldeborgh EdgartownJamie, I too say thank you for the wonderful job you did with the restaurant. All three of my daughters worked at busing and then later waitressing, as teenagers, a great experience for all of them and a wonderful working environment. All three have fond memories.
That said I’m confused as to what happened and why you’re closing. I’ve heard rumors it’s because the rental fee for the building made it no longer financially feasible, I hope this isn’t the case as that would be a real disservice to the community.
Best of luck in the future and I hope you’re able to reopen soon at a new location.
Crushed is the word. And
Douglas Best W. TisburyCrushed is the word. And thankful for all of the memories and wonderful tastes that linger from such. I'm saddened that the town of Edgartown couldn't come to terms with such great people as Jamie & Merrill. Perhaps another t-shirt shop will take it's place. When I moved to Edgartown in 1987 I was fortunate to enjoy Connor's market and to live next store to Frank & Miriam on N. Summer St. The pharmacy and Connors market were two places that had a counter top to sit at where one could enjoy to a malted milk shake. They are gone and so now
is the last place on island to do that. You are sooo missed. Thank you.
As a summer resident since
Jane Dean Southport, CTAs a summer resident since 1980 and now as an occasional visitor, I am so saddened that seing Jamie and loving her food and the ambience will no longer be a high point of my future visits. She always made my family and me feel that we were her favorite customers and early morning breakfasts were my favorite breakfasts anywhere in the world. Long before Jamie came along my husband and our family were truly addicted to eating “in” the airfield and way back we hosted private dinners there. REcently, with friends or alone, I loved eating any time of day at the Right Fork. Good luck, Jamie, see you in town, I hope!!
The RFD is a gem thanks to
BARRY TATELMAN EdgartownThe RFD is a gem thanks to Jamie. It is a favorite Vineyard experience for so many. Is the airfield only concerned about squeezing the last dollar or do they care about making people happy? Please reconsider and let the RFD fly!!!
My wife and I loved going to
John Kelly Oak BluffsMy wife and I loved going to the Right Fork Diner and dining on the deck. Just sitting there and watching the antique and other planes landing was a thrill. We will miss the RFD greatly, and it is really unfortunate that Edgartown could not work something out that would enable Jamie to continue in business. It will be greatly missed.
I've been visiting the
Rachel Oakland, NJI've been visiting the Vineyard my whole life. My children have only missed one year - when I gave birth at the end of August many years ago. We found Katama to be a perfect home base. Right Fork has been a staple for us. A highlight for my kids is riding their bikes to have breakfast there, because who gets to do that in our real lives? We watched the diner grow over the years... outdoor games for the waitlist and kids was completely genius! And they handled protocols last year with brilliance. There is no better spot for a delicious meal on a beautiful Vineyard day. We will miss RFD very much (at least I still have my mug)! Best of luck to Jamie and her family... we'll see you at your new spot!
RFD Strong !
rob the roofer new jerseyRFD Strong !
Although we've been on Island
C. P. New York CityAlthough we've been on Island every summer since 1977, it was not until recently we were introduced to the Right Fork Diner. What a joyful & much appreciated recommendation. We will miss having lunch or dinner on the deck or in the yard as we did last year. Thank you for your dedication, hard work and delicious food!
What us wrong with Edgartown
Harland Gibbs Vineyard havenWhat us wrong with Edgartown officials (selectmen). A business that was upgraded and successful.
Now the Town wants more RENT. Why? Now the business has to leave. Selectmen, rise up and make a worthwhile decision to ask for a reasonable rent, The New Offering for another tenant starts at less $10,000 rent for the 1st year. Lets have a positive approach to keeping it open. Is Edgartown Town so money hungry??
The PEOPLE have spoken.
MARTHA MAGEEThe PEOPLE have spoken.
EDGARTOWN, DO THE RIGHT THING BY THE RIGHT FORK DINER !!
SAVE THE RIGHT FORK DINER !!!
Over the years the Right Fork
Alida O’Loughlin Oak BluffsOver the years the Right Fork was the one place we would take our guests and visitors for a true Island experience in Edgartown. We hope Jamie will find a new place somewhere else on Island - if it was all about money then Edgartown does not deserve her.
OH NO! This news is awful,
Dana Anderson Honolulu, formerly EdgartownOH NO! This news is awful, that apparently the powers in Edgartown have once again made choices for bottom lines against somehow magically finding vision to support efforts like Right Fork Diner to continuing to serve families and visitors alike in a unique and pastoral corner of America. I cannot count the numbers of mornings or late afternoons that I rode my bike to the diner in the airfield...often when it was Mel's and still ever since...and many times with my dear friend Jane Dean who I see has written a note here.. I have been gone from Edgartown for fifteen years, but the Right Fork is as vivid to me now as it was then.
Never has there been a more
Jimmyballgame9 WTNever has there been a more obvious and worthy opportunity for the town selectmen to do the right thing and come in at this late hour and strike a compromise to keep Right Fork Diner on our island.
Money comes and goes, a beloved institution like Right Fork Diner only comes around once in a lifetime. A few more thousand dollars a year isn’t going to improve the towns fortunes or finances all that much.
Please BOS, step up and take action. Every year we lose so many island treasures (Chilmark Chocolates, Educomp, etc.) and the Edgartown selectmen have a chance to save one here before it’s too late.
This is a well written and
AM 02539This is a well written and appropriate nod to the institution that was created at RFD - truly a treasure. Sadly, it is also a reminder of the shameful approach / decision making that contributed to its demise. Perhaps you can’t un-ring the bell, but I’d encourage the town to re-examine their approach here before it is too late.
I am so sorry to hear about
Michael Badey New YorkI am so sorry to hear about the closing of such a beloved establishment in Edgartown. I have been going to the diner ever since I was a kid... so many memories. I would love to talk to you or Jamie about a new plan of action that could help save the diner. My email is [email protected]. I hope to speak to you soon!
My wife and I having been
Peter Damiani Staten Island, NYMy wife and I having been coming to the island for over 15 years, and the RFD for 12 of those years. What can we say....its just a sad time for all of us
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