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The only things Mustache Bill's Diner needs are bigger plates. Whether Owner Bill Smith is stacking his signature pancakes, smothering home fries in cream chipped beef or building a monstrous cheesesteak, Mustache Bill's certainly doesn't skimp on portion size.

But it's Smith's creativity, great flavors and knack for comfort food that earned his Barnegat Light diner one of the most prestigious culinary awards in the country. Earlier this year, Smith broke his routine of wearing his diner's T-shirt and khakis, rented a tux and headed to New York, where his restaurant was honored as an "American Classic" by the James Beard Foundation.

Even Smith was surprised that his unassuming island diner known for its basic-yet-extraordinary American cuisine would receive such an accolade.

"When they called, I was floored," said Smith, who met celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse at the event. "I'm a breakfast-and-lunch guy. I cook Steak au Poivre at home, not at my restaurant. So, I was honored. It was quite a night. At the time I said it was the second time I ever wore a tux, the other being my prom. But someone reminded me I wore one at a wedding, too. So, it was my third time."

Mustache Bill's Diner has been serving quality food in Barnegat Light since 1959, originally as Joe's Barnegat Light Diner, then as Jack's Barnegat Light Diner, then Bill's Barnegat Light Diner.

It was finally named Mustache Bill's Diner after one of Smith's friends was interviewed by a writer for the New York Times and referred to Smith as Mustache Bill.

"It was printed in the travel section, and the next week we had these huge destination parties coming in who wanted to know where the other diner with Mustache Bill was," Smith says. "And it kept happening. So, I nailed a temporary sign over my original sign that said Mustache Bill's ... and eventually we came up with a permanent sign and name change."

Smith doesn't take all of the credit for making the diner an "American Classic." He started working as a dishwasher at 13 years old for the original owner, the late Joe Sprague, and learned how to cook from Charlie Lynch, who worked for Sprague. He learned to make everything from scratch, use quality ingredients and offer portions that would make people feel like they got their money's worth - and then some.

"Joe changed my life," Smith said. "He died in 1999 at 99 years old, and he didn't have a problem until he was 98. He would come in here 20-some years after I owned it to make sure I was doing the right thing, and he would still make me nervous. He changed me.

"He got me hooked on the diner business."

Since buying it in 1972, Smith added a 40-seat side porch to raise the capacity to 90, but it's the original, stainless-steel, classic diner front that remains a Long Beach Island landmark. He still uses some classic recipes from Sprague's era while incorporating his own.

Creations like his Cyclops ($7.25) - two pancakes with over-medium cooked eggs in the middle - and extra creamy chipped beef served over toast or home fries ($7.25) didn't only land Smith the James Beard Award and a devoted following, but national exposure, too. Smith and his diner were featured in an episode of Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" on the Food Network, where Smith cooked for the celebrity chef and a national television audience.

"That was amazing," Smith said. "He really put me on the map. You can't pay for that kind of advertising. We had so much fun that he called and changed his schedule for the day and did a whole second filming for another show that hasn't aired yet."

Smith knows, however, that TV and media opportunities will only get people into his diner once. The food gets them to come back.

"I'm a perfectionist," Smith says with a laugh. "I drive my staff crazy about everything, from the size of the pancakes to the recipes to the presentation. When you're busy, it's so easy halfway through to get to the point where you say, ‘Ahh ... that's good enough.' That's the great battle: fighting the ‘good-enough' syndrome. It's really the key to the whole deal. We don't want to serve you one meal. We want to impress you so that you come back often.

"In the end, it's all about the regulars."

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