Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner was renovated by the Tranter family.

The diner had been around for decades, getting a lot of business from Remington Arms employees throughout that time.

The owner, Scott Tranter, grew up in Massachusetts, went to culinary school, and owned and operated several restaurants, many being in California. While traveling with his family, they fell in love with Herkimer, which they especially loved due to its proximity to his family.

"I wanted to be close, but far enough that they can’t just come and visit," Tranter said. "That’s the truth. I have 200 relatives there and being in the restaurant business, my aunt had one and the relatives would all come and eat for free, and basically mooch off her and cost her a fortune, and she ended up going out of business and I didn’t want to do that."

He and his family did a lot of renovating to bring the Empire Diner back to its glory days.

"This used to be the spot for Remington. All the guys, especially different shifts, it was over 24 hours a day," he said. "It was right across the street. A lot of people don’t really understand or appreciate the history here."

But Tranter does.

He spent his spring creating the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and a tribute to local history behind the diner. He hopes people will still be able to work at the Remington plant for years to come, because it’s been years of ups and downs, which affects business too. It's unclear what's in Remington's future after the company recently filed for bankruptcy.

“You can’t order right. You run out of stuff and then you overstock," Tranter said.

He said about 60 percent of his business comes from tourism and the next few months are typically the slowest, making local customers even more important. But if that base is lost, then it’s a double whammy for small businesses.

"It’s critical. I still have hope though. I really do. I still have hope," he said.

Tranter’s connections to the Remington plant don’t stop with his diner. His son-in-law is an employee there too.