Dinerdate is a webcomic written and illustrated by Tim Hengeveld, and centers around a man and his dog who hang out in a diner most of their free time. There, they get into wacky situations with the other patrons, which include a bear and a professional frenchman.

Dinerdate debuted on January 1st, 2004.

Characters

Tom

Tom is an upbeat and gentle guy who often tends to looks on the bright side of things. He can be a bit sarcastic and rebellious, but this behaviour is often instigated by his best friend, his dog Gavin. He worked as a freelance journalist for a while, until he got sacked because he did not meet the publishing standards desired by the magazine he worked for. Since then he’s been hanging out at the diner practically non-stop. His house has been seen only once, but only the balcony. How he pays the bills, nobody knows…

Gavin

Gavin is Tom’s cynical dog. It is unsure what breed of dog he is. He also seems to squint on a permanent basis, which enhances his grumpy attitude. He enjoys a good beer, and can get quite offensive, but in his heart he is a good dog. When his best friend is having a hard time(Gavin does not consider Tom as his ‘master’, just as Tom doesn’t consider Gavin his pet), he always looks out for them, and when everything works out smoothly he can be great company.

Browny

Browny is the resident bear of the diner. He first made his appearance when Tom found him in the freezer of the diner’s kitchen. Having been discovered, Browny has stepped out of his lair and became good friends with the patrons, after having overcome his agressive tendencies. He takes to Gavin in particular, in whom he finds a fellow cynicist and drinking buddy. Browny introduced himself as Brown Thunder, lord of the kitchen appliances, but allows himself to be called Browny for ease. He still inhabits the kitchen, and sees Big Daddy as his best friend.

Alphonse

Alphonse is a bit of a mystery. He first made his appearance when Tom and Gavin were discussing France, and proceeded to clobber Tom with his baguette when he spoke ill of the French language. He has been lurking around the diner for unknown reasons since then. He is a typical frenchman, wearing stereotypical french clothes, drinking wine and speaking with a heavy french accent. The famous snobbish character is also present.

Big Daddy

Big D is the proprietor of Big Daddy’s Diner, where the comic often takes place. He is a gentle chubby African-American, who loves his diner more than anything, and seems to handle everything by himself, with some help from Browny. He occasionally makes an appearance to say something profound or give the strip a cozy feel.

Kat

Kat is a sophisticated tabby who comes by the diner every once in a while. He is a little timid, and never really gets carried away in one of the guys’ crazy antics, but just prefers to have a nice cup of coffee. He has ended up being everyone’s friend, probably because of his kind nature. He has a kind of love/hate relationship with Gavin. Gavin is driven by his dog instinct to harass cats, but often doesn’t and they just talk a bit. Gavin says it’s because he’s too lazy, but in truth he likes Kat just like everyone else.

Sarah

Sarah is a waitress that joined the cast after the whole vendetta with Bruce’s diner. She is Tom’s love interest, a sweet and innocent girl who is little shy, but very social and enjoys playing on her guitar in her spare time. One day she hopes to be a famous musician.

Alexander

Alex has become a good friend of Tom, Gavin and the gang after they met in Bruce’s diner. He’s charming and witty, always in for a laugh, but dependabe when needed. He often tries to help out Tom with his lovelife.

Nicole

Nicole is an independant businesswoman who’s always on the go. She like to hang around Daddy’s diner during the quiter hours so she can work from her laptop. She has a strong will and knows how to utilize her womanly ways to get what she wants in this male-driven society. Over time she has developed a sort of love-hate relationship with Alphonse.