Backed by City grants, Faye’s Diner is on its way to Highland Park  

After three years of operating their shop, Vintage Rescue, Richard and Faye Rosenberg are preparing to serve up something new. 

The couple plans to open Faye’s Diner at 473 Roger Williams Ave. in February 2027, following City Council approval of two grants Monday, Aug. 17. 

The diner will take the space of Vintage Rescue, which has now moved one door down at 469 Roger Williams Ave., to allow more space for the diner. 

Faye’s Diner reportedly will be a classic diner offering breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts for children and adults. It will offer the same kind of vibe as Sandy’s Diner, at 415 Sheridan Road., in Highwood, as Darcy Mosconi, owner of Sandy’s Diner, will also be heading Faye’s Diner. 

The Grants

The grants approved for Faye’s Diner were a food and beverage interior improvement grant of $150,000, as well as an exterior improvement grant that may not exceed $12,773, which reportedly will account for 25% of the total project cost.

Richard Rosenberg said he feels “great” that the grants were approved, as without them, Faye’s Diner could not open, he said. He found the City “helpful” and “generous” for approving the grants.

To Faye Rosenberg, the City approving the grants means that they “care about the community,” and “in keeping the Ravinia District vibrant.” She can tell that the City sees the need and value to have the diner, and it means a lot to her and Richard, she said.

The proposed improvements are “critical for growing the new full-service diner leading to increased revenue and F&B sales tax in the long-term,” says a staff report from city staff. The diner will also offer something “distinct” from the district’s existing business mix. 

The Beginning 

Richard and Faye Roseberg have owned and operated Vintage Rescue since 2023, and the idea to open a diner as well came last year from Richard, who, as a retiree from the practice of law, still wanted to do something, he said. 

“I heard great things about Sandy’s Diner,” he said. “So, I made a call [to open a diner] and it immediately gained traction.” 

Faye Rosenberg said the inspiration to open the diner also came from demand. She recalled a number of her clients coming into Vintage Rescue and asking for the diner for “so long,” she said.

Faye said her customers missed a local diner since Shelton’s Diner, once at 481 Roger Williams Ave., closed in the 1990s.

Sandy’s Diner, though, has become a local favorite and will lend some love to Faye’s Diner. 

The Partnership

Mosconi has owned Sandy’s Diner for more than 35 years – she said she’s been there her “whole life.”

Sandy’s Diner opened in 1962, and Mosconi’s mother is Sandy, the namesake who’s been there for 53 years.   

According to Mosconi, Faye’s Diner will be a “raging success,” and she will split her time between the two diners. 

Although the Rosenbergs don’t have the restaurant experience of Mosconi, they have been “foodies” all their lives, especially loving diners and can recall working in the restaurant business for some time.

Apart from adopting menu items from Sandy’s Diner, Faye’s Diner will include additions like dinner, salads and acai bowls. 

The Expectations

The interior of Faye’s Diner will include a full kitchen, two bathrooms, a lunch counter and booths, Richard Roseberg said, while the exterior will have open-air dining, hoping to accommodate more than a dozen people, as well as bi-fold windows and planters. 

The City is a fan of the bi-fold windows, which, according to the staff report, will “create a welcoming, safe, and visually appealing dining environment.” 

Mosconi anticipates the exterior will be “very eye-catching.” 

Richard Rosenberg hopes Faye’s Diner will be “a meeting place, the glue and a pillar,” for the community, he said. 

“I’m hoping [Faye’s Diner] will be like my place [Sandy’s Diner] where I have watched these kids grow up who now have children, and they bring their children to the diner,” Mosconi said. “I hope that [Faye’s Diner] is long-standing and that we will know families throughout different generations – that’s my favorite part.” 

According to the Rosenbergs, they’ve noticed kids from Ravinia Elementary School and Edgewood Middle School roaming the streets, which allows for some after-school traffic, which will be very good for them, they say. 

That is something the City can see as a benefit as they mention “increased foot traffic and public engagement in the business district are key indicators of a thriving, dynamic community life,” it is written in the staff report. 

Faye’s Diner reportedly will allow carry-out and is open to catering down the line. 

The Opening

With an open date set for Feb. 1, 2027, construction in the space began the week of Aug. 17 following City Council approval.  

Construction is expected to be completed around Christmas time. As people will likely be travelling for the holidays, February seemed like an appropriate time to open, the Rosenbergs said. 

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