I recently sat down with Adrian Latifi, owner of Harry’s Prohibition Bistro, to learn about his journey to owning a restaurant. While finding out where his story originated, I realized I really needed to go back a couple decades to when his dad, Harry, came to America. To do this, I had to go see Harry over at Harry’s Diner on Calumet Drive, where he can be found just about every day they’re open. When I arrived, Harry greeted me with his usual smile and friendly hello.
Harry came to America from Northern Macedonia
(former Yugoslavia) when he was 18 years old in pursuit of the American dream and a better life than what he left behind in his own country, which was under Communist rule at the time. He originally settled in Chicago, where he ran a small family diner for several years. He went to college and got an Accounting degree with the intent of getting out of the restaurant business, but he found that was ultimately where his heart was. He moved to Sheboygan in 1999 and met his wife Christina shortly thereafter.
The first Harry’s Diner opened on February 15, 2000, on Kohler Memorial Drive next to the Imperial Inn. He had poured all his money into the building and the food, so the day they opened Harry was completely broke and 
discovered he had no money to put in the cash register. His brother Al ran out to his car and scrounged up some change for the register. The first day open he made only $278.00, and the next day only $200.00. He began running a steak and egg special for $3.95 to try to drum up business. It must have worked, because he has loyal customers still coming in for that same steak and egg special, although it costs a little more than $3.95 today.
A couple of years after opening Harry learned the building he was in, which he leased, was going to be torn down. He began looking for a new location and bought the building he is currently in on Calumet Drive in 2003, opening for business in August of that year. He did most of the work and renovations himself, with the help of his brother Al and other family. 
While renovating, one of the rooms was all black, and he eventually found out that the building had at one time been a meat market, and that room was the smokeroom.
When it reopened, the new Harry’s Diner location was the first smoke-free restaurant in Sheboygan. Harry chose a 1950s diner theme for the décor, as he has always admired that era. The diner oozes that ambiance, from the life-size Elvis when you walk in the door to the black and white checkered floor, chrome-accented chairs, neon signs, and wait staff in poodle skirts. Popular 50’s icons and memorabilia adorn the walls of the diner. His granddaughter loves all the neon pink, and he has joked with her that someday it will be “Odessa’s Pink Diner”. You heard it here first!
In the early years the diner also served dinner, specializing in fine dining options like escargot and shark. Harry also used to make his own yogurt from scratch. 
Regulars would come in partly out of curiosity, because they never knew what was going to be on special.
The diner has won numerous accolades over the years, which Harry has proudly displayed on the walls. In 2006 the diner was nominated the “Bedrock of Sheboygan County”. In 2007 they won three Reader’s Choice “Best of Sheboygan” awards, in 2008 they won six, and in 2009 they won NINE! Some of these include “Best Place for Breakfast”, “Best Place for the Price”, and “Best Place for the Entire Family”. They’ve continued to win Reader’s Choice awards for many consecutive years since then.
When asked what inspires him, Harry said it is his love of food, of creating something, and the feeling it brings when he sees people enjoying it. He loves to be creative with food.
Today, as I look around the diner hopping with customers and buzzing with the sounds of bacon sizzling, dishes clanking, and casual banter, it is clear that Harry has achieved the American Dream he sought out to pursue. It exudes from his smile and personality, and he makes all his customers feel right at home.
