Christina O'Connor | The Roanoke Times

Joe’s Diner in Radford packs in students from Radford University as well as area residents looking for late-night or early-morning food.

RADFORD — You walk in to hear “Stand by Me” playing on the stereo and to see “I Love Lucy” signs covering the walls.

You may think you went back in time, but instead you have stepped into Joe’s Diner.

One would think a diner would be a little empty come 2 a.m. on a Thursday, but Joe’s Diner isn’t just any diner and its customers are not your average customers.

Whether you’re sharing a milkshake with your boyfriend or dancing at the counter while waiting for your order, Joe’s Diner supplies all the atmosphere needed, especially at 2 a.m.

At 11 p.m. on a recent Wednesday, a couple talked over chocolate milkshakes after a long shift at work.

The place was pretty quiet, with only one waitress and a cook. Come 11:30 p.m., another waitress was suiting up for what was sure to be another busy night.

Soon after a group of girls came in wearing pajamas, hoping to get away from the textbooks they’d been memorizing.

Not only can the studious be found at Joe’s, but also the tired.

Two girls dressed to the nines stopped in after a tiring night at a fraternity party.

By 12:30 a.m., the restaurant was packed, not an empty table in sight.

The whole place was filled with conversation. Halfway through the meal, tables combined and strangers met for the first time over a boat of tater tots.

So why is Joe’s such a hit with college students?

“It’s cheap for the quantity that you get … and it’s really good,” said Radford University sophomore Sean Brennan.

While some come for the food, others come for the conversation.

“We come because everyone comes here,” said Megan Guillians, a sophomore at Radford. “We come here every single night we go out.”

By 2 a.m., Joe’s Diner was filled with customers dancing at the counter and trying so hard to get that black gum ball from the machine for a free milkshake.

“Joe’s is like a Silver Diner on a Friday night in D.C., but instead a Wednesday in Radford,” explained Kristi Poling, senior at Radford who grew up in Washington.

So what do the waitresses think of all the chaos?

Joanna Rosa summed it up. “I wouldn’t work here if I didn’t think it was fun.”