While many restaurateurs are shying away from opening a new business in this economy, young restauranteur Chris Vianest said it’s perfect timing for him.

He’s a trained executive chef who has worked in country clubs and fine dining establishments for the last 16 years, but said his dream is to have a simpler place.

“Everything here is fresh, home-cooked and made from scratch,” he said. “And if you want something that’s not on the menu,just shout it out and I’ll make it if I can.”

He said he believes “menus are just guidelines,” and he’s happy to oblige.

The place has an old-fashioned diner theme, but Vianest said his niche is the fresh food and customer service.

“It’s a return to a simpler time in life, good home-cooked food – you can taste the difference,” he said.

There’s no computer cash register. They write tickets by hand and call out the orders to the open kitchen behind a counter.

“I like the open kitchen,” he said. “People can see us prepare the food and see it’s very clean. That’s really important to me.”

The restaurant is a family affair. His brother, Dave Vianest, is the cook, and his mom, Barbara Vianest, is a partner. All are Cape Coral residents.

The place is named after his grandparents. “Red was a New York City fireman, and we all like to cook,” Vianest said. “We all got our start in Margie’s kitchen.”

There’s a “Wall of Fame” dedicated to his late grandfather and grandmother, featuring nostalgic pictures of them taken over the years.

There’s also pictures being brought in by customers of their cars. Vianest hopes more customers bring in more as the place becomes more of a local hangout.

“In my spare time, I build cars – hot rods,” he said. “I’m working on a 1950 Pontiac and a 1966 Plymouth right now.”

He said he also hopes to have car shows in the parking lot in the future. It’s a big lot. The business is located between Pondella Bingo and Michael Evans Computers in the Coral Gate Commons complex on the corner of Pondella Road and Orange Grove Boulevard.

“What I’m trying to do is bigger, better food at better prices,” he said.

It’s a day place, open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Breakfast and lunch are served from open to close, and menu items start from $2.99 for an egg sandwich. The most expensive thing is a steak sandwich at $8.99.

“And that’s prime rib,” he said.

There’s also “Build A Burger” where you can customize for your favorite. “That’s fresh burgers, not frozen,” he said.

There’s regular breakfast fare and a few unique items, like Eggs Portugal described as “Margie’s famous baked egg casserole,” served with home fries and grits.

“We’re from New York but we have items from Florida, like grits and sweet tea,” he said.

Then there are Grandmoggs, “Margie’s secret blend of breakfast cereals,” a true family secret, he said. “When we were kids, Margie tried to keep us interested, so she mixed all kinds of cereals.”

There are also fresh muffins and cookies daily, and featured items like Sweet Potato Fries.

“We serve them with a special dipping sauce – it’s sweet maple mayo, not good with anything else, but great with the fries,” he said.

There’s also malts, floats and shakes.

Vianest’s background includes a stint in the army, where he cooked as well.

“I competed in the All-Army Culinary Olympics in 1996 at Fort Lee, Virginia,” he said.

The entire family lives in Cape Coral, and his wife, Melissa, is a graduate of North Fort Myers High.

“I’m a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy,” he said of enjoying the casual set-up of his business. He said he wants to get to know his customers, and invited them to chat when they visit.

Catering is also available.

The phone number of Red-n-Margie’s is 656-0412.

The address is 957 Pondella Road.