The Sweet Story of One Man Who Ate Breakfast at the Same Diner for Six Decades

He belonged to another era.

And now that he’s gone, an era is over.

Henry Morris went to the same dockside Monterey diner for breakfast just about every day since 1948.

Yes, 1948, when Harry Truman was president, John Wayne appeared in Red River and Morris was a young Maytag repairman.

His order, without fail: decaf coffee, burnt toast. Occasionally eggs. He'd spend two hours talking and visiting with other regulars, particularly the early-morning fishermen.

The only things he did remotely as regularly as eat at Loulou's, it seems, would be to fix washers and dryers and charm fellow diner patrons with his friendliness.

One man, one restaurant, one order, 65 years.

For the last 13 years the Wharf Two spot has been landmark Loulou's Griddle in the Middle. Loulou’s co-owner Grace "Gigi" Davis is one of many who will miss him dearly after Morris died earlier this month after a stroke.

“In this fast-moving world,” she says, “I don’t know of anybody who has that kind of tradition. He was sweet and wonderful.” (Her must-read heart-rendering note about his passing appears below.)

To know Loulou's is to know why Morris chose this spot. It's a place that doesn’t feel too far from the year he started coming, an Americana classic with porcelain salt-and-pepper shakers shaped like shuttles and barns and cartoon characters. It’s a minimal frills greasy spoon—bacon and eggs, three-egg omelets ($11.75) and banana pancakes ($5.95-$8.95). There are flares of food personality in the "squiddle and eggs" ($10.95) and oatmeal bruleé ($6.50) but more than anything, it has people personality, the perfect balance of sass and saccharine and, most importantly, the consistency and stability of long-term servers who know their customers as well as they know the menu.

My favorite part of that menu is where it reads, "Remember the diner where you got everything you wanted just the way you wanted it, every time? Friendly waitresses, and a bottomless coffee cup? Oh...wait, did we lose you because bacon wasn't mentioned in the first sentence? If you're still reading this, ask for the Royal Treatment and get a great price on 'Lou-mosas'....Ask Us...(Price depends on our mood and your attitude)."

In other words, it's a place a lot like Morris: old-school, classic, charming, blessedly simple, eternally sweet.

His stool—the second from the far end (pictured in the background above), with a big embossed "H"—is now a landmark like the restaurant. All Memorial Day weekend the Loulou's family will not be charging for coffee or any other beverages, accepting donations in lieu of payment for the Morris family as they make funeral arrangements and his daughter fights breast cancer.

Davis’ note appears below:

My name is Grace "Gigi" Davis, co-owner of Loulou's Griddle in the Middle on Wharf 2, in Monterey.

Loulou's is a tiny diner on the commercial wharf in Monterey (Wharf #2). We've been a diner since 1948; it's been Loulou's for the past 13 years, and we hope we have a place in the community that is a mixture of nostalgia and new creativity. But it is not Loulou's that matters here truly, the reason why I'm reaching out now is that I wanted to talk to you about one of our most beloved customers, Henry Morris.

Henry had been a customer of Loulou's every morning since 1948. Yes, every morning since 1948! In our new world of lost traditions and new technology, this is truly extraordinary. Henry started coming in as a young man in his 20s, was a Maytag repairman, helped open the first appliance store in Pacific Grove, and began his morning the same way each day. He's experienced so much on the Wharf, and in our community.

Henry passed away on Sunday. He was 87. Every single Loulou's team member is deeply moved and saddened. He also leaves behind members of the fishing community, local customers and the tourists that came in early enough to meet him. Ever so humble, Henry was quick to lend a smile and a hug to everyone that came in to his reach.

I'm writing you because I feel like his life, as simple as it was, should be honored in some way. He loved Monterey so much and saw many changes. A week before Henry passed, [co-owner Allecia] "Loulou" [Garrett] drove out to Arizona to visit him (Henry was visiting his daughter in Yuma [the only time he wouldn't visit Loulou's every morning] when he suffered a massive stroke). She hung a large mural photo of Henry's view of Monterey from his Loulou's seat, in his hospital room. His smile and twinkling eyes came alive at seeing that photo.

Perhaps it is not sensational or cutting edge; it's just an incredibly sweet story about a sweet man who found comfort in ritual, tradition, Monterey and good coffee.

Respectfully yours, Gigi