A familiar downtown State College landmark has a new tenant — and a new take on a classic American diner.
Bubba’s Eggs, Steaks & Shakes officially opened Monday at 131 S. Garner St., inside the historic 1947 Silk City Diner that once housed Baby’s Burgers and Shakes for over 30 years and most recently Oeuf Boeuf et Bacon.
The 1950s-themed restaurant, owned by Bubba and Brianna Stroh, marks the latest chapter for one of the borough’s most recognizable dining spaces.
Owner and head chef Bubba Stroh, who has cooked for more than 20 years, saw the opportunity to revive the vacant building after Oeuf Boeuf et Bacon’s departure in July and return a diner experience to the downtown.
“He wanted to delve into something bigger, in a bigger town, bigger place,” curator of Bubba’s Eggs, Steaks & Shakes Justin Baughman said. “He saw the opportunity because the building was sitting there empty for a little bit, and we all know it as the iconic Baby’s location. He just took the plunge to see if it’s something to become the next, in a sense, the new Baby’s.”
Stroh is no stranger to the restaurant business. He previously operated Daily Grind Coffee Co. in Altoona, which opened in 2022 and became known for its specialty coffees and breakfast items before closing in September, as well as owning a fast casual, deli-style restaurant before then.
The diner’s location has long been tied to State College’s history, first arriving in the 1960s and hosting several establishments ahead of Baby’s Burgers and Shakes opening in 1987, serving as a 1950s-style staple for more than three decades. Baby’s closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Oeuf Boeuf et Bacon, a French-inspired American diner, opened in 2022 before closing its doors this summer.
Now, the Strohs aim to restore the spirit of the space with a menu full of homemade comfort food.
The new diner serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, offering made-from-scratch comfort food and classic milkshakes. The menu features traditional diner favorites such as a wide variety of omelets, pancakes, waffles, french toast, burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, salads and cheesesteaks, alongside other classics like chicken and waffles and sausage gravy and biscuits.
Specialty items include a selection of breakfast sliders and full-sized sandwiches served on French toast, salted caramel mocha pancakes and a chorizo bowl with peppers, onions, mushrooms and homefries tossed in a garlic cream sauce with over easy eggs.
“Everything there [Bubba] makes himself, from scratch, made fresh,” Baughman said. “They’ll have a vintage soda fountain… They have all the toppings, helpings, variations to make all kinds of your favorite milkshakes.”
For the Strohs, nostalgia is a key ingredient.
“We’re not exactly from that era, but we love nostalgia,” Baughman said. “Nostalgia is something that people are grasping onto and trying to look back at their precious memories from back in the day when they grew up and going to diners…We’ve missed diners.”
The nostalgia factor is why the restaurant has Baughman on board as curator. The memorabilia and atmosphere will immerse diners in days gone by.
“Bubba’s isn’t just a place to sit down and eat some food,” Baughman said. “Bubba‘s is going to be a mini-museum. It’s a step back in time.”
Bubba’s is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, with the possibility of hours extending as the diner grows.
