What’s hot and what’s happening now in the restaurant scene!

Paul Giorgio

Foodies rejoice. Wallet Hub recently reported that Worcester ranked as the 123rd Best Restaurant City in America based on affordability and diversity. It was 110 in the country for diversity of cuisine. Bless those immigrant restaurant owners.

Moran Square Diner in Fitchburg closes. The iconic Worcester Lunch Car Co. diner, which has occupied the same spot in the Fitch since 1941, recently closed its doors. It was owned by Chris and Mary Giannetti and is for sale for $99,000.

Bubba Gump would be proud. A new seafood restaurant chain opened a location in Worcester’s Webster Square. J&C Crab opened at 1269 Main St. There are other Massachusetts locations in the works. J&C already has locations in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Corporate ladder-climbers rejoice. The Boardroom has recently opened on Water Street in Worcester’s Canal District. The combination restaurant/bar has an eclectic food menu and specializes in organic and natural food with a Middle Eastern flavor.

Simon says open a restaurant. Simon-Pure Publick House is the name of the new restaurant located in the space that housed the former Bootleggers. Rick Laakkonen recently reopened the Lunenburg restaurant. Bootleggers has been closed for almost a year.

Go in Peace. Frank Peace, who was managing the Worcester restaurants for The Grid in Downtown, recently opened a coffee spot in Marlborough. Brew Coffee Bean’s location at 187 Boston Post Road West in the RK Centre shopping plaza stood out to Peace during his time helping to oversee more than 100 Starbucks locations, and the timing couldn’t have been better for Peace. Starbucks decided to move across the street to the Apex Center, which opened last fall. Brew Coffee Bean opened Oct. 1.

Now, there is a reason to go to Webster Lake in the winter. Samuel Slater’s Restaurant at Indian Ranch opened the last week of October. The newly built establishment contains a full-service restaurant and function space.

Mexicali expands in Spencer. Mexicali, a small Mexican restaurant chain, recently unveiled plans to expand in the Sugden Block at 117 Main St., Spencer. The chain received approval from the town at the end of October.

Take your Q from this. Dairy Queen will soon open in Worcester on Grafton Street. The 2,800-square-foot fast-food eatery will have 70 seats and is the first in the city.

Mr. Roger’s new neighborhood. Neil Rogers has left the Shrewsbury-based Food Hub for Romaine’s in Northborough. Rogers has headed up numerous kitchens in the area, including Volturno on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street.

Spice it up. McCormick & Mortell’s has closed on Route 12 in West Boylston, and we have been told that a new restaurant will be opening after the first of the year. No word yet on a name or cuisine.

Old Timer is not the same Old Timer. Clinton’s iconic Old Timer restaurant, a gathering place for the town’s Irish community, has reopened with new owners and a new menu. Dishes such as Paella and Chicken Curry in Coconut Milk have replaced its well-known prime rib. The menu looks great and times change. Can’t wait to try it out