"Hate those lawyers," one patron said between sips of coffee.

The gentleman to his right - an attorney, of course - just smiled, knowing the comment directed toward him was just in jest.

And so it goes at Bob's Diner in Roxborough, an old-fashioned, boxcar-style place where residents gather for good eats and friendly banter.

"Teasing like crazy is always the norm," owner Jim Evans said during a visit to the Ridge Avenue business last Friday. "Everybody comes in here, no matter what they do on the outside, they're just friendly in here."

One customer, an 83-year-old man Evans called the "newbie on the block," even though he's been frequenting the diner for about 12 years, has dubbed Bob's "The Great Equalizer," since everyone, despite gender, race or religion, is the same once inside.

Evans has owned Bob's for almost 17 years. The previous owner had it for 13 years. And soon, Evans expects to pass the place off to his daughter and son-in-law, Jamie and George Major, although he does plan to work part-time for years to come. He's not ready for retirement just yet.

"I thought you were going to sell it to me," one customer sitting at the counter jokingly said to Evans last week as the owner worked in the kitchen, scrambling eggs and flipping sausage patties on the hot grill.

Evans just smiled, and went back to his cooking. After all, this owner prides himself on being hands-on. It not only gives him something to do, but it enables him to interact with customers and staff, many of whom have been eating, and working, at Bob's for many, many years.

Take Trisha Harder, a Bob's server who has been a friendly face to customers for the past 32 years.

"Watched a lot of people grow up," Harder said in between taking orders.

Her tenure at the diner has enabled Harder to see generations of customers come through the doors, including adults who ate at Bob's as youngsters. They now bring in their own kids.

The friendly and attentive wait staff is one reason behind the diner's longevity, Evans said. But there are other explanations, too.

"We serve good food fast. It's fresh; people can actually watch it being cooked," Evans said as he turned out order after order, dishes that included omelets, bacon and eggs, and creamed chip beef.

For John Basmajian, also known as "Johnny B," the only logical breakfast choice is referred to as "The Eye Opener," consisting of two large eggs, (you can also get a one-egg version), with a choice of bacon, ham, sausage, pork roll, scrapple or corned beef hash as well as home fries and choice of toast, plus coffee and tea.

"It's just a complete, good meal," said Basmajian, a Roxborough resident who has been coming to Bob's for 20-some years.

Regulars like this him are what make Bob's such an enjoyable environment, Evans said.

"You get to meet people, you get to talk to them," he said. "We're not like police, where you see (people) at their worst. We see them at their hungriest, which is a good thing."

Bob's, which, depending on who you talk to, has been around from anywhere between 65 to 80 years, Evans said, is also unusual in that its backdrop is a cemetery.

The fact that Leverington Cemetery encircles the eatery has made the diner a place of lore. For Evans, the spookiness came about a week after he took the helm. He was in the basement checking out the plumbing one night when he heard footsteps coming from above. The place was closed, and Evans was the only person there.

When he went upstairs to check who was playing a trick on him, he found he was alone. When he headed back downstairs, the stomping started up again. Looking outside at the full moon, which cast a glow over the cemetery's headstones, Evans did the only logical thing he could do - he got out of there, and fast.

"My eyes got big as saucers and I could feel the hair on the back of my neck standing up," he said. "I said out loud, 'You guys have been here a lot longer than I have, I'm out of here,'" he said.

Fortunately, that was the only experience of its kind Evans has had since taking over the business. Today, it's more about the camaraderie he shares with living.

For Evans, it's always fun seeing people order the same thing visit after visit.

"There are tons of people who come in here and they order the same thing," Evans said. "Like Johnny B says, you don't mess with success."

Evans even joked that when a regular customer opts to try something new, the owner requires a "note from their mother."

"Even at dinner time, breakfast is the most popular meal," he said.

While the egg combinations seem to draw the most attention - you can get breakfast all day long at Bob's - Evans remains stumped on why more people don't order dinner, considering options are both tasty and affordable. He may never know the answer, but said maybe his daughter will find out when she takes over.

Evans said he hopes that the nostalgic look, friendly atmosphere and good service will enable the diner to stay afloat for another seven decades. But the customers also help make it what it is, he acknowledged, like the old guys who tease each other at the counter, or the man whose 3-year-old daughter wakes up in the morning only to utter the word "Bob's."

"This place will be here another 70 years with people like that," Evans said, "and that's what we try to do."

Evans will even offer discounts to police officers to show his appreciation for the work they do. On Sept. 11 and 12, he treated all cops and firefighters who came through the doors to free meals.

Evans is giving in other ways, said Harder, the longtime employee. She said her boss has been known to donate turkeys to those in need during Thanksgiving, and he'll even give some proceeds to charities.

"He's a very generous person," Harder said.

Bob's was one of the first local restaurants to go smoke-free, Evans said. The voluntary move was made in 1999, long before the city outlawed smoking in restaurants. Evans admitted business took a hit at first - there was a 40-percent drop in revenue the first three months - but now people thank him for the decision.

Evans, whose dad had emphysema and mother had cancer, just saw it as the right thing to do. After all, he wants his customers, and employees, to live a long time.

"We're not like one of those places who put up four walls and call itself a diner," Evans said. "We are a diner."

Bob's Diner is located at 6053 Ridge Ave. For more information, call 215-483-9002.

Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com