Breakfast at Keedy's

I was in Palm Desert last weekend. The weather was beautiful and it was nice to see the Lovely Sharon who I had not seen for almost two weeks.  On  Friday,  after I got ready for the day, I grabbed the newspaper and headed out to breakfast. My favorite place for breakfast in Palm Desert is Café Des Beaux Arts but that day I decided to go to Keedy’s Fountain Grill, the famous long time greasy spoon in Palm Desert.  I left the Lovely Sharon to get herself ready for her 9:30 tee time with the ladies. I had a 12:30 tee time with the guys and so I went to breakfast on my own. Keedy’s opened for business in 1957 and has been a fixture of Palm Desert ever since. I first went to Keedy’s in 1996. I have been there  many times with buddies, with the Lovely Sharon and on my own. I imagine the place looks like it did in 1957. As you walk into Keedy's your eyes focus on old worn out Formica counter tops and tables and old fashion soda fountains for malts shakes and sodas. You can imagine Keedy’s being used as a movie set for American Graffiti or Happy Days.

I walked in the door on the Highway 111 side of the building rather than the other door which is on the parking lot side of the building. I chose the first small table for two against the west wall. I had just opened my newspaper when my waitress asked me if I wanted coffee. Instead of coffee I requested orange juice and a glass of ice water. My waitress who had what might be kindly called a Rubenesque figure, was a friendly Hispanic lady of maybe 50 years of age. When she brought my orange juice, I ordered two eggs scrambled, hash browns, link sausage and whole wheat toast. A diet, heart healthy breakfast that is served up just right at Keedy’s.

As I waited for my breakfast, which took very little time, I surveyed the scene. The fountain bar was full, every stool taken. Seated at the bar were mostly elderly folks but one little boy of maybe six was seated next to a woman who might have been his grandmother. He asked her many questions and she seemed to give patient answers. The waitresses, waiters and bus boys, all wearing Keedy’s tee shirts, were in constant motion cleaning, taking orders and bringing coffee and breakfasts to the many customers sitting around me. My waitress seemed to know, and was known, by many of the customers. Sitting at the table next to me was an elderly couple. The woman’s back was to me while her husband faced me. As my waitress walked to their table, she bent over and kissed the top of the head of the woman, who looked up and gave the waitress a warm hug. At the next table, where another couple was having breakfast, the old gentlemen remarked to the waitress that her new haircut looked very nice.

In addition to the several elderly couples sitting around me, there were several groups of golfers having breakfast prior to their golf rounds, a couple of men sitting by themselves reading papers and a few younger couples. I tried to eavesdrop on several of the conversations around me and enjoyed listening to comments about local news, the warming weather and heroic golf shots. At one table they were solving the crisis in Egypt.

I finished my breakfast, paid my fare at the cash register and handed my waitress her tip. She thanked me with a friendly smile and told me to come back soon. I told her I would and you know what, I will. I don’t go to breakfast often in Utah but in Palm Desert, I often go out to breakfast. Since I arise a couple of hours before the Lovely Sharon, most of the time I head out for breakfast on my own why she gets ready for the day. It is nice to have a quiet breakfast, read the news and observe the folks around me. If you are in Palm Desert or get to Palm Desert try Keedy’s for the first time or for the tenth time. Take your newspaper but look around at the other customers and the workers and listen to their conversations. It starts the day out on an interesting note.