John Fortin, 50, of West Roxbury once dreamed of becoming a rock star, but while pursuing his dream, he fell in love and his life path took him in a new direction.
Today he owns four restaurants: Rox Diner in West Roxbury, The Toast Office in Westwood, The Grateful Dedham Diner in Dedham and his newest, Rox Diner in Newton Highlands. And Fortin’s love of rock ‘n’ roll is reflected in the walls and menu items of his restaurants.
His newest restaurant, the Rox Diner at 4 Hartford Street in Newton Highlands, is decorated with vintage posters of rock ‘n’ roll artists such as the Beatles, John Lennon, Elvis Presley, ACDC, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, Guns & Roses and others.
One of the menu items at Rox and Grateful Dedham Diners is “Scramblin’ Man,” a scrambled egg dish that pays homage to Bob Seger’s hit “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man.”
Wickedlocal.com had the opportunity to catch up with Fortin to learn more about his latest project and what made him decide to switch his career from music to hospitality.
Learning from his father-in-law at the Donut Villa Diner
While pursuing his dream of becoming a rock star, Fortin worked part-time as a project manager in the database division for Pitney Bowes in 2001, where he met his future wife, Mel Stefanides.
Mel’s father, John Stefanides, owned the Donut Villa Diner in Malden, and in 2002, Fortin began working with Stefanides to help him out on weekends.
He thanks the man who became his father-in-law in 2003 for teaching him the basics of what it takes to be successful in the restaurant business.
“When it comes to attention to detail, consistency, business aspects, structure of approach and hard work, he has all of that,” Fortin said.
He said his dream of becoming a rock star turned into a dream of owning his own bistro as he got into the business.
Purchase of Aunty Bea’s and conversion to Rox Diner
In 2007, Fortin learned of a West Roxbury diner, Aunty Bea’s, that was for sale. He teamed up with Newton native Paul Louderback to purchase the business and renamed it the Rox Diner as an ode to West Roxbury and his love of rock ‘n’ roll.
In the beginning, the business was depressingly quiet, says Fortin.
But little by little he began to change the menu and the methods of preparation.
“Then we hit a viral point where we had a crazy Saturday. And from that point on, it never seemed to slow down,” Fortin said.
Fortin and Stefanides’ two daughters, Juliana and Isabela, both work at the Rox Diner in West Roxbury.
Expansion of the business to include The Toast Office, The Greatful Dedham Diner and The Dining Car
In 2011, Fortin and Louderback opened their second Rox Diner, 335 Walnut St. Newtonville, formerly a Kentucky Fried Chicken.
The success continued. However, in 2014, Fortin and Louderback ended their partnership, with Louderback remaining the owner of the Newtonville Rox Diner and Fortin owning the West Roxbury location.
The Rox Diner in Newtonville permanently closed in July 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2016, Fortin and his wife Mel Stefanides opened their second restaurant, The Toast Office in Westwood, a venue open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day except Sunday, when it is open only for lunch and dinner.
In 2018, they opened The Grateful Dedham Diner, 573 High St., in Dedham Square, formerly D’Angelo’s, which is open daily for breakfast and lunch.
The Toast Office and The Grateful Dedham Diner were featured in The Phantom Gourmet.
More: Thanks to a focus on customer service, the Needham catering company has been thriving for 40 years
Reinventing the first Bringham’s Ice Cream location in Newton
In 2024, Fortin learned of the site that once housed the first Brigham’s in Massachusetts, founded in 1914. The space was leased by The Dining Car, and the owners were looking for a new tenant to take over their lease.
Fortin and Stefanides took the opportunity to reopen a Rox Diner in the town of Newton, where he knew many people from his previous time as owner of the Rox Diner in Newtonville.
They hired head chef Roberto Nunez and officially opened on August 14.
More: Several towns in eastern Massachusetts have decades-old diners that have become landmarks
What’s on the menu at Rox Diner in Newton
“It’s a classic diner, with breakfast all day, refillable coffee, a huge menu and all the essential diner items, but not a cheap restaurant,” Fortin said.
They try to use local and organic ingredients as much as possible and make everything themselves, even the hollandaise sauce, pancake batter and waffle batter.
“Nothing comes out of a bag or a box,” Fortin said.
The orange juice is freshly squeezed daily. The coffee is organic and fair trade and comes from Downeast Coffee Roasters in Rhode Island. The tea is from Mem Tea in Cambridge. The hot sauce is Craic from Lowell. The maple syrup is from Hollis Hills Farm in Fitchburg.
The bread is freshly baked and delivered by the Fornax Bread Company in Roslindale.
“The whole family will love it. We have pancakes for kids and healthy options for people with dietary restrictions like the vegan power bowl,” Fortin said.
He admits that the menu is “huge.”
“There’s a lot to see, a lot of words. But I like the size of our menu and the variety we offer. It’s creative and fun and includes information about our sourcing,” Fortin said.
Popular dishes on the breakfast menu include Eggs Benedict with homemade corned beef hash, ham, avocado or smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce, pancakes with blueberries, pecans and mascarpone, and French toast on Fornax brioche bread.
