The 24 stools and the counter at the L&S Diner have seen plenty of customers in nearly six decades of business.

And now, they’ll see yet another pair of owners. The Harrisonburg landmark has its fifth set of owners after Dave Miller and Randy See purchased the diner Monday.

Miller is owner of Dave’s Downtown Taverna and Dave’s Taverna Express.

See, president of the Resource Network, owns the property at 255 N. Liberty St. He and Miller are partners in the business.

They purchased the L&S from Sam and Jeff Lambert and Joyce Graves, who have owned and operated the restaurant since 1989.

"The L&S has a multitude of strengths," Miller said. "The sales are there, but it has issues with profitability."

Miller plans major renovations to the restaurant, including new flooring, restrooms and storage.

Since the restaurant is part of the downtown historic district, some state tax breaks will be available, he added.

"The facility is in dire need of a makeover," Miller said. "Hopefully, we can get it all done by the 60th anniversary, which is next year."

Miller would not reveal how much he and See paid for the restaurant and property, but he called it a "fair price."

He plans to take some time to get to know the employees and the regular customers before changing things.

"My expertise is facilities management and operations," Miller said. "We want to upgrade it and bring a new perspective to it."

Miller has operated Dave’s Downtown Taverna since 1994.

In 2002, he renovated a late 19th-century building at 121 S. Main St., and relocated the restaurant there, doubling its capacity.

Miller hopes to expand on the L&S name, possibly with a catering service.

"You can’t find a stronger brand in Harrisonburg," Miller said. "It has a huge client base."

Some of the restaurant’s core employees have been with the L&S more than 20 years, he added.

"They all want to do a good job," Miller said. "We want to give them the tools they need to remain competitive."

The new owners are motivated to preserve the downtown district, according to Eddie Bumbaugh, executive director of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance.

"I think their intent is to maintain the original character and atmosphere," Bumbaugh said. "They want to make the diner an attraction to both local residents and visitors."

In addition to serving food, the L&S Diner is a gathering place.

"When my father owned the Buick dealership downtown, the elite of Harrisonburg gathered there for breakfast," Bumbaugh said.

Listed with the National Register of Historic Places, the L&S Diner has the look of a converted railroad car. It sits near the tracks of the Norfolk Southern Railroad and has a flat metal dining-car roof with rounded edges, which adds to the railroad car appearance.

But the L&S was designed and built as a diner. D’Earcy Davis Jr., who worked for Nielsen Construction, was the architect, the National Register said.

He designed it for Frank Lee and Ike Simmons, who lent their names to the business and had the restaurant constructed in 1947, during the heyday of the diner industry in America.

The National Register calls the L&S a "solid, no-frills diner."

Its blue-and-red Formica counter and red Naugahyde stools are prominent decorative features, it said.

Most of the mid-20th-century diners were located along trucking and tourist routes. U.S. 11 was a "veritable diner alley," the National Register says in its report "The Diner in Virginia."

Pan-fried chicken has been a staple at the L&S from the beginning, said former owner Mervin Lambert.

A newer favorite is the garbage, or everything, omelet.

"Breakfast at the L&S was always the best meal," Lambert said. Lambert purchased the diner from Ward and Lucille Van Pelt in 1977. Lambert’s children – Sam and Jeff Lambert and Joyce Graves – purchased the restaurant in 1989.

When Mervin Lambert took over, he eliminated the sale of alcohol and updated the menu with more family-oriented fare.

"I enjoyed this place more than anything I ever did," Lambert said. "It’s still part of my routine."

Contact Dan Wright at 574-6293 or dwright@dnronline.com