My advice to you is to make everything you serve, exactly the way you would want it if you were eating at your place.
Get known for something special, an incredible burger, dog, chili, soup, whatever, something a crave would make a person drive 75 miles for. Perfect a Corned Beef Hash that brings tears to the eyes because the plate is empty, learn the art of incredible home fries, chili dogs people can’t get their minds off of, twice fried french fries, large portions, great coffee, inexpensive kids menu. chicken fried something with a gravey folks can’t forget, soft rolls, sweet tea, fried bologna sandwiches, don’t serve steakums, stay away from canned crap, make as much as possible from scratch, fabulous pan fried chicken anyone? Yes, over here ! Keep your place spotless especially the rest rooms. Talk to everyone, remember their faces. Wether you do or not tell everyone it’s nice to see you again. Greet eneryone who comes in, or make sure some employee does, be fast, accurate, and don’t make a customer wait a lifetime for the check. Suggest a soup to start, a dessert to finish, if you not a baker of desserts find some local source for great pies or cobblers. Open early, stay late. "Build it and they will come".

Oh yeah, good luck, don’t give up, make it a labor of love, the affection will be returned, and your place will become a destination restaurant !