We know the girls worked Saturdays, so It got me thinking if it was mentioned throughout the series when the diner would open up in the morning and close at night, and if there was any variance for Saturdays?

I always got a feeling it was open 6 to 6 or 7 to 6 6 days a week.

It seemed like there was more staff on hand everyday than there were actual paying customers. :lol:

This is my opinion. It seems likely they worked about 10 hours 6 days. We know Sunday was not open to service and they did inventory free on Sundays. They have a schedule of about 60 hours but probably have rotational closing, we see them from time to time asking the other to close up for them. We also do not see them always starting at the same time. Sometimes the restaurant will be full and one of the girls comes in for work. Makes me think they rotated opening and closing. Maybe giving them a legal 40 hour week with breaks and lunch. We are not really given much info on it but Alice is home in time to beat school age Tommy home sometimes and not scold him for being out late on a school night. They often are out of there early enough to catch movies, moonlight, or get Tommy ready for a school dance. I would think they close based on dinner rush, once its over the clean up and close. I don't know but I think Vera was most of the time present in the morning except on rare moments she was late. She was there whenever the others came in it seemed.

Watch the original film "Alice Doesn't Live Here anymore" to see how difficult waiting tables in a BUSY hash house at noon, and since this is 1975, everybody smoking on top of that.

The sitcom it wasnt busy in the place. On top of that, the place only sat 22 people. Had a 6 top on the far window, a four top on the other side of the door, two other four top tables, and the bar sat four. Even full with turnover, you dont need more than two waitresses.

I never understood how a restaurant would stay in business closing on Sundays! Sundays is usually the biggest eat-out day of the week, esp. ppl eating after church.

Probably for religious reasons or after working six ten hour days they wanted to rest.

Probably for religious reasons or after working six ten hour days they wanted to rest.


We have a couple of restaurants here that close on Monday, making that their day of rest.

Probably for religious reasons or after working six ten hour days they wanted to rest.
In one of the episodes recently (Logo) Mel said something about Sunday's in that area being like a ghost town. It was not in reference to the restaurant hours but for whatever reason, it could also be assumed that is why the girls offered to do inventory on Sunday and the restaurant remained closed.

Logo is trash, cutting out 8+ minutes per episode of ODAAT, Alice, etc. Not sure about The Nanny or Roseanne, those might still have about 4 minutes hacked off... Shame really.

We know the girls worked Saturdays, so It got me thinking if it was mentioned throughout the series when the diner would open up in the morning and close at night, and if there was any variance for Saturdays?

I always got a feeling it was open 6 to 6 or 7 to 6 6 days a week.

The girls got there at 7:00 to get things ready and the diner opened at 7:30. Alice said they worked 12 hours so I guess 7-7.