Totin’s Diner owner Jim Totin of Bellevue serves up a menu of comfort foods in the comfort of a 1950s-style diner. Photo by Tom Steiner for The Citizen

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the 10 o'clock breakfast crowd at Totin's Diner on Perry Highway in Wexford extends out the door, hungry Christmas shoppers waiting for available seating.

Weekends are always crowded at the '50s-styled restaurant owned by Jim and Joanne Totin of Bellevue, but there's something special in the air this particular day. That "something special" soon becomes apparent. It's the morning of the WPIAL championship playoffs, and a line of young men wearing North Allegheny black and gold exits, nodding with smiles to the "Good luck tonight, guys!" called out by local fans who quickly replace the team at booths and tables and begin to check out the breakfast-all-day menu.

Located on Perry Highway about a quarter mile south of where the Wexford Flats becomes a tangle of car dealerships, mini malls and fast food chains, Totin's serves up a menu of comfort food in a comfortable setting, maybe a little too far suburban to be called a Pittsburgh institution, but despite the geographical disconnect, Pittsburgh all the way.

Bellevue resident Jim Totin opened the diner as the next step in a career that started over 20 years ago when he worked at Chiles on McKnight Road.

"I was washing dishes there, and one day, the chef said, 'Hey, kid! You wanna cook?' It went from there."

Jim attended the International Culinary Academy after graduating from high school and then worked at the North Park Lounge for over 10 years as cook, advancing to chef/manager.

"It's fun and fast-paced. And I like to say that I was into restaurant work before it became trendy -- long before the Cooking Channel. It was something that I was just naturally good at, and I fell in love with it."

He struck out on his own just over a year ago, helped in the kitchen a few days a week by his brother Tom, but for the most part, it's all Jim cooking up the specialties of the house while wife Joanne manages the books and looks after the "Totin Tots," James, 4 and Margaret, 2.

The old business adage of "location, location, location" begs the question of how, so close to long established and well known eateries, the diner manages to stand out against the competition.

"Easy!" Jim answers in an instant."We have real food. Stuffed cabbage, pork and sauerkraut, pierogis, and on Saturdays, the largest prime rib in Pittsburgh. I call it the Polamalu Prime Rib, 43 ounces. Lots of good, North Side ethnic food."

He points out another factor: the quality of his food. "I buy Amish bacon from Lancaster County. We make our own soups. The bread is from Breadworks. Homemade pot pies, sloppy joes, liver and onions, a Pittsburgh platter of kielbasa, kraut, Italian sausage, pierogies."

The building, a former service station/garage, does not resemble a typical roadside diner, on the outside, that is. But inside, patrons drop back 50 years to framed magazine ads for Admiral TVs, cars selling for $2,900 and sports memorabilia, mostly of Jim's favorite team, the Steelers, spread throughout the red, white and black color scheme of the booths beneath 1940s-style hanging light figures.

"The ads come from the pages of "Look," "Life" and "Post" magazines I bought at an antique store...There's a little bit of history that can be learned here," Jim said.

Four flat screen TVs keep patrons connected to the present, two of them tuned to the news, two of them to sports.

In addition to serving up his menu selections, Jim is working at building a catering business that will service weddings and private parties.

North Boroughs to Totin's is a quick jaunt. Starting in West View, about 15 minutes up the road to the left side of Perry Highway, less than two miles north of Pine Creek Mall. "Lots of Bellevue people make the trip regularly," Jim said.

The restaurant is open 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 7 a.m.-3 p.m., Sundays, and all major credit cards are accepted.

Despite the grueling hours, Jim finds his reward in seeing his dining room filled with people enjoying the food as well as the décor.

"It's a great feeling seeing the restaurant crowded and with people having a good time. I have so many loyal customers and I really appreciate them."

And what became of the Tigers who started their day at Totin's? They went on to become the Quad-A champs that evening, of course, proving once again that breakfast -- Jim would emphasize a Totin's breakfast -- is the most important meal of the day.