PEABODY — Little Depot Diner will savor a bit of the limelight tonight when the 13-seat breakfast and lunch counter is featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives."

But the diner almost didn't make it on-air.

Owners Jim and Judy Miles opened their Railroad Avenue restaurant in February 2007, and with the help of their children, Joe Miles and Jen Allen, have steadily built a local following that clamors for their hearty breakfast menu and unique specials.

So when Jim and Judy Miles got the message from the show's production company in late June, they took their time to reply.

"The reason I hesitated to do the show was because of the customers," Jim said. "I really didn't want to wreck the experience."

Experience is the operative word. The waitresses wear 1950s-era powder-blue uniforms with white collars and aprons. The guys sport black button-down shirts and don paper hats.

"It's an atmosphere that brings you back," Jim said.

"It's such a cool thing," Judy said.

Overhead, a model train loops around the interior of the 1929 Worcester Lunch Car. The waiters get the model train running and its horns blowing when a customer orders the popular All Aboard special: two eggs, two strips of bacon, two sausages and two pancakes with home fries or baked beans.

They also offer local favorites like Moxie soda and Fluffernutter sandwiches. It's a cash-only operation, and cell phones are banned.

But that's only the half of it. Jim and Judy Miles have plenty of personality, which doesn't go unnoticed by their customers.

"When I work on the weekends, I get fired at least three times a day," Jim said.

"Oh, more than that," his daughter fires back without missing a beat.

And it's laughter all around.

15 minutes of fame

After some back-and-forth with the producers, the Mileses dove in.

"The experience was incredible," Jim said.

The production company and Guy Fieri, the bleached-blond, spiky-haired host, spent two 12-hour days at the Little Depot Diner this summer.

"It was a lot more work than we ever imagined," Jim said.

With dozens of takes, meals were cooked many times over to get just the right shots.

"There wasn't one clean cup, plate or spoon," Jim said. "The dishes had to be made three or four times."

Monday night's episode will show off Jim Miles' Boston baked beans and Judy Miles' Mulligatawny soup, a curry-flavored soup, along with corton, a French-Canadian pork spread.

"We had to reveal all our secrets," said Judy, who's extremely protective of her handwritten cookbook.

Her corton was a favorite of Fieri, who cleaned off an entire baking pan of the spread, she said.

The family of four bonded with the crew in the diner's close quarters.

"The crew had fun. Guy had fun," Jim said. "We had fun."

At one point, Fieri made a friendly wager with producer Mike Morris to put on Judy's waitress uniform. Morris not only obliged, he posed for photos with Fieri's Chevy Camaro convertible.

"It was a riot," Judy said.

Allen, a schoolteacher in Lynn, said she loved the overall experience.

"I'm still friendly with the production crew," she said. "I lo ved them. Guy was interesting. He wasn't as boisterous as I thought he would be."

Joe Miles thought Fieri was just cool.

"We just got along right off the bat," he said.

The family plans to watch the show at the Sylvan Street Grille tonight with friends, family and their customers. "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" airs at 10 p.m. on the Food Network.

"Anybody who's been in the Little Depot Diner is welcome to join us," Jim said.

Little Depot Diner Debut

What: "Diner, Drive-ins and Dives"

When: Tonight at 10

Where: The Food Network