For over 50 years, a local staple in Binghamton’s South Side has continued to serve breakfast, coffee and freshly made donuts to residents and college students alike.

Open from 5:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day, Birtchy’s Cafe: Home of Manni’s Donuts is now owned and operated by local Melissa Birtch. To continue the diner’s legacy, she has strived to maintain its same warm, inviting atmosphere that has brought popularity over the years.

“They’re handcrafted donuts,” Birtch said in an interview with Pipe Dream. “We have bakers in every night, making them for the next morning.”

Birtch said that the diner mainly serves its famous donuts, breakfast sandwiches and rich coffee to the local community. Despite its college town location, Birtch said much of their business comes from community residents and retirees.

Birtch was born in Binghamton and has lived in the South Side neighborhood her entire life. She worked in a factory until 2019, when she lost her job and decided to return to college. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she decided to leave school and work at the diner instead, eventually purchasing Manni’s Breakfast and Lunch in August 2024 when it was put up for sale by the Manni family, who founded and operated the business since the 1970s.

While she had never owned a restaurant, Birtch told Pipe Dream that she frequently visited her aunt’s diner as a child, sparking her interest in the food industry.

“When I was a young girl, my aunt had a breakfast restaurant,” Birtch said. “They didn’t sell donuts. But I always loved going there every morning, the atmosphere, just the local people.”

Upon walking into the diner, patrons are greeted by a wall of freshly made donuts. A long breakfast countertop lined with stools evokes a vintage mid-century feel. With flavors ranging from Boston creme and maple frosted to peanut butter and jelly and red velvet, each fluffy creation provides the right amount of sweetness in every bite.

The establishment has been a fixture in the community for over 50 years. When a 2015 fire destroyed the diner’s kitchen, former owner Michael Manni originally thought the business would need to relocate. However, he ultimately decided to remain in the location that had been part of his family since 1973. Just a few months later, Manni’s reopened with a new coffee bar and donut selections.

While Birtch said her clientele was mostly longtime residents, Binghamton University students also frequent her restaurant on weekends.

“They have the best breakfast in town!” Param Nagpal, a senior majoring in computer science, wrote to Pipe Dream. “I love going there on the weekends with friends.”

Along with the array of donuts, Manni’s also serves pancakes, French toast, eggs, omelettes, bagels and breakfast sandwiches — all classic diner breakfast staples — at affordable prices. The place also serves “a little bit of lunch,” Birtch said, before they close at 1 p.m.

The diner is a lifelong dream of Birtch’s come true.

“I always dreamed of having my own restaurant, but I never actually worked in one because I was stuck in a factory, you know, insurance and benefits and all that,” Birtch said. “And so when this opportunity came, I jumped at it. It was kind of a dream of mine to have my own little diner.”