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Jack Pfeiffer, the co-owner of A Little Dinner at Jack & Diane's restaurant in Speonk, says his casual restaurant serves American-style cuisine.
Photo by Hallie D. Martin

Jack Pfeiffer won’t deny that the name of his restaurant, A Little Dinner at Jack & Diane’s, is a play on the well-known John Mellencamp song “Jack and Diane.”

“Instead of a ‘little ditty,’ it’s a ‘little dinner,’” the Manorville resident said with a smile. “It came to me about 10 years ago.”

Mr. Pfeiffer, 48, and his wife, Diane Pfeiffer, 42, started serving up American cuisine on July 17 at Jack & Diane’s, which is located in the Village Square Shopping Center off Montauk Highway in Speonk. Mr. Pfeiffer is the executive chef while Ms. Pfeiffer handles staffing and other management duties.

Jack & Diane’s is a casual, relaxed, family restaurant with more than just a kid’s menu, Mr. Pfeiffer said. Patrons can go there for a date, or come with kids.

“You can come here with the kids and not feel like you don’t belong,” he said. “We want to make you feel calm and welcome when you come in.” Jack & Diane’s is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and for Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The regular menu is also served on Sundays from 2:30 to 9 p.m.

The menu, which is the same for lunch and dinner, lists dishes that are a step up from a family restaurant, Mr. Pfeiffer said. Appetizers, burgers, sandwiches and salads range from $6 to $10, while the entrées, like pasta and steak, are priced between $14.50 and $23.50.

At Jack & Diane’s, brunch is priced between $9 and $12. In addition to such typical items as pancakes and eggs, Mr. Pfeiffer whips up stuffed French toast, or a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg and cheese sauce.

Without a doubt, the 10-ounce burgers are the most popular item on Jack & Diane’s menu, Mr. Pfeiffer said. With prices starting at $8 for the basic burger, patrons can add different cheeses and toppings for an extra 50 cents.

Jack & Diane’s also serves seven different burger combinations. The western burger ($8.25) is smothered with barbecue sauce, while the farmhouse burger ($8.50) is topped with mushrooms, peppers and onions.

The Jack & Diane’s combo ($19.50), a plate of filet mignon and a chicken breast stuffed with herb cheese and topped with mornay sauce, is a popular entrée, Mr. Pfeiffer said. The South Fork chicken ($16.50), a chicken breast with onions, mozzarella and artichokes covered with a lemon wine sauce, and the steak and shrimp combo plate ($19.50) are also top-selling dishes.

The kids’ menu includes macaroni and cheese, a mini burger, chicken fingers and a grilled cheese sandwich. Everything on that menu is $6 and includes a choice of french fries, vegetable, side salad or rice and a dish of ice cream.

Mr. Pfeiffer knows that sometimes patrons don’t feel like a potato with their steak. That’s why he designed the menu so Jack & Diane’s guests aren’t tied to side dishes. Patrons can choose one side with a burger or sandwich, and two sides with an entrée.

“I wanted to change it up and make it different. Guests get an option and we don’t have to charge for it,” he said. “They can have onion rings one day and a salad the next.”

Side dishes include standard items like french fries, a house salad, baked potato, soup of the day, pasta, onion rings or the vegetable of the day. French onion soup, a baked potato with bacon and cheddar cheese and “dune” fries, french fries with cheddar cheese and bacon, are $2 extra. Additional sides are $3.95.

The restaurant’s simple interior features walls painted green, and dark-colored tables and in two dining rooms. A separate cove houses the bar and a few high tables.

Eventually, Mr. Pfeiffer wants to split the restaurant into his-and-her sections. He’d like to design the front room and the bar area into a space where guys can kick back, watch a ball game and enjoy a burger and a drink. The other room will be geared to couples and families, with a door that closes so patrons can enjoy a quiet dinner.

Mr. Pfeiffer, a Long Island native hailing from Lake Ronkonkoma, knows the restaurant business. His parents, Joan and Stan Pfeiffer, ran Baron’s III in Bohemia and Baron’s IV at Lands End in Sayville. He decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and enrolled in a culinary school at Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, New York. After college, he worked at a couple of restaurants around the island before settling down as the executive chef at Murtha’s in Bohemia.

But after 14 years, Mr. Pfeiffer started thinking about other endeavors.

“The walls started to close in on me,” he said.

Earlier this year, the Pfeiffers looked at some office space in the Village Shopping Center to open a preschool. The landlord, Warner Somner, told Mr. Pfeiffer that the owner of Paul’s Cafe was probably going to be vacating that building soon.