By KAYLEA BROWN, Student Reporter
When the hands on the clock hit four o’clock in the afternoon, Max Parsons starts to turn on equipment, prepare food and anything else that he will need for his shift at 818 Diner.
Parsons is a 21-year-old Alva native and a junior accounting major at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.
Although Parsons’ family owns and runs the diner, he started out in the restaurant as a cook and worked his way up to his current position.
Parsons is a manager and mainly works the night shift, but he also helps with the morning shift as needed.
Parsons said at first he was not too fond of his family’s idea to start a restaurant, but after his family took a picture in front of the building located at 818 Oklahoma Blvd., he became more serious about the idea. Now enjoys his role in it, he said.
When it was time for the Parsons family to decide on a name for the restaurant, they asked their family for ideas.
Parsons did not like the ideas they offered, but the three numbers painted on the door stood out in his mind. 818 Diner became the name for its simplicity and the appealing symmetrical look it presented.
Parsons’ goal for 818 Diner is to expand the restaurant into neighboring towns and possibly even franchise it one day.
“If you would have asked me a couple of years ago if I’d be working in a restaurant, let alone running one, I would’ve called you crazy,” Parsons said.
“It’s not something I’ve always wanted to do, that I’ve always thought about. It just kind of fell in my lap. This diner has given me insight on how I’m going to achieve my vision.”