"A part of old Hilo dies right here."

Frank Dacanay put into words what diners were thinking Sunday morning during the final breakfast service at the Big Island Ohana Cafe. The downtown KTA Super Store building, which housed the historic eatery, will be razed Nov. 8 as part of a planned $1.2 million reconstruction project.

Dacanay, a motorcyclist who sat in his usual spot at the lunch counter in boots, bandanna, a leather jacket and tie-dyed T-shirt, said he's patronized the restaurant "since time began."

"It's a convenient little corner to come here for breakfast and meet friends," he said.

James and Elsie Shinohara opened Elsie's Fountain at the corner of Keawe and Mamo streets in 1940. Elsie's became a Hilo institution, staying in business for about a half-century.

"I remember Elsie — and I remember her husband, dressed to the nines with the bow tie and the white cap — making sundaes and banana splits," said Neil Erickson, a downtown Hilo architect. "It was good fun."

The Shinoharas retired, and the diner went through several owners and names before Eddie and Mei Kam took over in June 2004. The Kams, originally from China, were soon dishing up breakfast and lunch to a steady stream of customers.

Eddie, a former cook at Pahoa's Black Rock Cafe, wielded his trusty spatula at the flat-top stove behind the double-doored service window. Mei waited on customers, bussed tables and cashiered — a water pitcher in one hand and a carafe of hot Yuban in the other.

"They're such a lovely couple," said Momi Mauhili, who said she frequented Elsie's "as a teenager" and that Sunday breakfast at the cafe is "a must." Mauhili sat at a table just a step from the Keawe Street sidewalk, enjoying Spam, eggs and home fries. Her husband, Ernest, worked on a plate of Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice.

"I don't even have to order. They already know what I want," he said.

Numerous customers raved about the home fries.

"They're unsurpassable," said Doug Brown. "I come here for the home-fried potatoes."

Pat Hatami agrees. "I like the home fries with Portuguese sausage," she said.

Others swore by the southern-style biscuits with sausage gravy, which Bill Medeiros called the best "between El Paso and China."

"It's funny you have to go to a place where there's a Chinese chef to get biscuits and sausage gravy," said Rick Barbati. "Where else in Hilo are you going to get that?"

Hatami and husband Jimmy ate there most mornings with their great-granddaughter, Jaymi, a 20-month-old charmer who's always ready with a wink, smile and a high-five for her "aunties" and "uncles."

"She's been coming here almost since she was born," Jimmy Hatami said. "We're gonna miss Eddie and Mei and all the people who come here, too."

The diner itself was a reassuring reminder of a simpler time, with its Formica counter and naugahyde stools, milkshake machine and other fountain accessories. Ancient Foremost Dairy wall placards depicted ice cream specialties.

"See the counter? It still looks wonderful," Brown said. "It's like a visit to a stop in time when I grew up. This place just does it. It's nostalgic." Adding to the nostalgia were souvenir picture postcards taped to the wall. The cities on the cards bring to mind an old-time train conductor's narrative: "All aboard for San Diego, Seattle, Winnipeg and Altoona."

The casual atmosphere — no shirt, no shoes, no problem — attracted Brandon Helms, who "randomly happened onto the place." Helms sat in a corner, bare-chested and barefooted, with a backpack and didgeridoo, a musical pipe invented by Australian aborigines.

"It has a nice, family feel to it, and they've got good food," Helms said of the diner. "It seems like they put a lot of love into their food."

Eddie Kam said he and his wife would "relax for a while." He hopes to find another downtown spot with reasonable rent.

"Maybe next year we'll reopen," he said. "I will miss my customers. They're always on my mind. I'll really miss them."