Lenten fish fry a favorite for diner customers

LAFARGEVILLE, New York (WWNY) - It’s Good Friday, and that marks the last fish fry day of Lent. Folks at the LA Lunchbox diner in LaFargeville are making it count.

“It’s Good Friday. Gotta eat your fish,” said customer Eddie Youngberg.

For the second year since the diner opened, people flock to the eatery for its fish fries.

“Oh, we love it here. We love our customers and they seem to enjoy the fish,” said diner owner Marchelle Walters.

Since it’s in LaFargeville, a tight-knit community, the sizzling seafood at LA Lunchbox draws in a lot of repeat customers, adding a new meaning to family business

“You just get to know everybody and they become more like family than they are customers,” said Walters.

But What keeps those customers coming back?

For some like Youngberg, it’s all about the quality of the food. His meal came complete with fish, fries, and tartar sauce.

“It’s super fresh and flakey. That’s the kind of fish it is,” he said.

Thanks to its location, the diner is also the top pick for LaFargeville Fire Chief Wade Ingalls’ Friday lunch. His haddock sitting atop a mound of macaroni.

“It’s the go-to place for my fish fries. It’s close by. Good company and good food,” he said.

Aside from the good food, folks say LA Lunchbox sets itself apart with some unbeatable portion sizes

“You can’t beat bang for buck on portion; it’s pretty hard to beat. Their menus always rotate on their specials. Every time you come here you’re bound to be surprised. If it’s something that’s hidden really well every few weeks you’re bound to catch it,” said customer Austin Hoyecki.

Although the diner did good business in-house, takeout took the cake as boxes upon boxes of hot meals made their way into bags.

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