General Hospital Look Back: Kelly's Diner

Kelly's Diner and Waterfront Boarding House

324 Wharf Street
Port Charles, New York

The Menu

A bowl of Ruby's Chili and one of Heather Webber's
favorite BLTs. What could be better?

The Origin and a Brief History

Rose: Hi, I'm your stepmom.

Joe: Damn! There goes my chance.

Do you know the year Kelly's started? Way back in 1980!! Hey days of Luke and Laura!! GH needed a hang ou and this fit the bill. The Bucket of Blood was a bar in town and a lot of the 'chit chat' took place in the Hospital cafeteria. The owners were Paddy and Rose Kelly. Did you know that Luke was hired as a waiter in the early days?? LUKE as a WAITER??!! Paddy was killed in (what else) a mob war and Rose sold the joint to our beloved Ruby, Aunt of Bobbie and Luke.  She dispensed Chili and advice to everyone.  When Ruby passed away in 1999, the diner went to Luke and Bobbie. For a few years, Tammy Hansen was the manager. Then Mike Corbin took over. Today, there is no day to day "manager" (much to my sadness). Kelly's is still a great place for hanging out and even has crayons and butcher paper on the table to keep everyone occupied. 

People who lived and worked at Kelly's

So, how are Bruce and your son Ashton?

Many residents have worked at Kelly's some of these include (but might not be limited to): Jimmy Lee Holt, Bobbie Spencer, Felicia Jones, Holly Sutton, Brenda Barrett, Jagger Cates, Karen Wexler, Lily Corinthos, Miguel Morez, Keesha Ward, Luke Spencer, Lucky Spencer, Carly Benson, Elizabeth Webber, Jason Morgan and Mike Corbin.

Former residents include (but might not be limited to): Diego Alcazar, Jordan Ashford, TJ Ashford, Brenda Barrett, Cooper Barrett, Emily Bowen-Quartermaine, Shawn Butler, Jagger Cates, Lily Corinthos, Dante Falconeri, Tammy Hansen, Jimmy Lee Holt, Felicia Jones, Georgie Jones, Maxie Jones, Ric Lansing, Courtney Matthews, Miguel Morez, Jason Morgan,Sam Morgan, Celia Quartermaine, Dillon Quartermaine, Edward Quartermaine, Lila Quartermaine, Javier Ruiz, Juan Santiago, Rebecca Shaw, Lucky Spencer, Luke Spencer, Holly Sutton, Keesha Ward, Elizabeth Webber, Heather Webber and Nathan West. 

The Q's stayed there.

I do remember the Quartermaine's moving into Kelly's in the mid-80s. Lila, always the most gracious person, took it in stride and was very positive and happy with the atmosphere of Kelly's. Edward, (played by David Lewis) was his usual gruff and stubborn self. (If you have never seen David Lewis as Edward, do yourself a favor and watch some You Tube on him. The man was brilliant). While working and living above the diner, Lila invented Pickl-Lila and brought the Quartermaine fortune back. 

“The Cellar”

Did you know that Carly ran a club out of the basement of Kelly's for a time called "The Cellar"?? It's true!  In 2002 she and Ric Lansing found an old speak easy down there and she decided to open her own place. 

PC's version of the Three Stooges

Kelly's Immortalized

In 2013, Kelly's was immortalized in print. Do you recognized these images? Heather Webber was the artist and it was an abstract of her fave sandwich! 

Kelly's at Disney World

 Opened in 2000 as part of the Soap Opera Bistro, Disney recreated the inside set of Kelly's Diner as one of their restaurants. The Bistro incorporated all 4 ABC Soaps (at the time) Port Charles, All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital. There was also Luke's Nightclub and other themes to look like one of the ABC Soaps. It was a really good idea. There were fake acting scenes going on around your table. Lots of stuff to look at and a lot of references to the soaps. Alas, the idea didn't catch on. The area was closed down in 2002. 

What could have been (fan fiction)

We would be remiss without some fan fiction by Dave and bright red editor notes from Karen! So, here it goes... What if Rose Kelly came back to town several years ago. She told Bobbie she missed the Diner and Bobbie said "You want it? It's yours...". And Rose took over the diner, giving advice to everyone along with getting involved in people's lives. The Diner set would be used a lot more, with more interaction. Rose decides to hire Mike into his old position behind the counter. While working and spending time together, a relationship starts between the two, with their first date being at the Nurse's Ball. Platonic at first, but all it takes is one dance. Eventually they get married inside the diner. The alzheimer's storyline didn't happen (not yet anyway) and we have a very happy couple on the senior circuit. Here is a photo of Rose, obviously deliriously delighted on her wedding day to Mike. (Yes, that is a recent picture of Loanne Bishop from a MAYHEM "like me" commercial)

Karen's take: LOVE This idea!! She could still come back-- we need a sage advisor behind that counter to help all the teens in town!