Wichita’s Doo-Dah Diner had a visit from a very hungry celebrity on Friday afternoon
Harrison Ford, it seems, is a bit overdue for his annual Wichita visit.
But on Friday, there was another celebrity in town, and he got employees and customers at Doo-Dah Diner, 206 E. Kellogg, pretty excited when he stopped in for lunch.
Henry Winkler — the 76-year-old actor who the older generation knows as The Fonz from “Happy Days” and who younger people recognize from his role in Adam Sandler’s film “The Waterboy” — was in Wichita on Friday to speak to a convention, he told his admirers at Doo-Dah Diner. Everyone he talked to had told him he had to try Doo-Dah before he left town.
He and his wife, Stacey, stopped in for lunch around 1:15 p.m., said Emily Belanger, the 23-year-old server who was assigned to his table.
When she saw Winkler, she said, she thought she recognized him but had to confirm his identity with a co-worker. Not long after, customers started noticing that there was a celebrity in the house.
Winkler was gracious, she said, and he posed for pictures with the staff and with owner Patrick Shibley. He also took down the address of some children dining nearby and promised to send them copies of his children’s book.
The Fonz ordered the lunch chicken fried steak, the beef stroganoff special and a half order of biscuits and gravy. His wife got the French dip with fries. Between them, the couple shared three orders of monkey bread.
“They were over the moon about the food,” Belanger said.
Co-owner Timirie Shibley was out of the diner when she started getting frantic calls from her staff, so she rushed back in and got there just in time to see Winkler.
After a brief swoon, she had to apologize to her chef husband.
“I said, ‘Patrick, sorry, he’s really my first crush,’” Timirie said with a laugh.
