The OB Diner in Point Pleasant Beach is getting new life.

After being closed again for more than a year, there's a new chef in town, ready to serve up all the late-night favorites.

A nearly round-the-clock operation is now in full swing at one of New Jersey’s OB Diner, that’s short for “Ocean Bay.”

Diego Sanchez moved to the states from his native Peru at just 15 years old and fell in love with cooking, honing his skills first at Walmart, then at the Art Institute of New York City.

“Actually, I started off at a Walmart, at a grill. Walmart had its own cafeteria,” said Sanchez. “That took me down the right path to the hospitality and restaurant industry.”

In 2023, Sanchez opened 39 Degrees North in Stafford and then transformed a local breakfast joint into At The Point, just down the road from the OB last August. He realized Point Pleasant Beach was missing something.

“There was nowhere to eat late. And if there was, it was very limited, just a chain or sandwich shop.”

With the help of a financial investor, Sanchez closed on the OB a week ago, ready to bring back the legacy, and those late-night cravings.

“OB will remain a Jersey Diner staple in town," he says.

Reopening a Jersey diner means keeping up with modern times. Sanchez envisions a more streamlined menu approach, sticking with what works, the favorites and classics.

“Nice wagyu meatloaf, fried chicken made-to-order, disco fries every day, all day, three soups per day," he says.

Late nights will return – the diner will open daily at 6 a.m. - and close at 10 p.m. but stay open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, all to help New Jersey maintain our self-proclaimed status of “diner capital of the world.”

“It's a plus for Jersey. You have to stay in Jersey,” he said.