Many come for the blend of good service and good food, says self-proclaimed regular Jerry Mellen.

"Every time you come in, they treat you like you belong," Mellen says.

Though a few students are seen huddling over a problem set in a corner table upstairs, Maher says fewer students visit Charlie's than in previous years. He attributes the trend to increased drinking on campus.

"We run a tight ship here," Maher says, boasting that he rejected a female student who presented only a Harvard ID as proof of her age earlier this week.

Those who get in enjoy it, says Patrick F. Minogue '97 of Lowell House. "Charlie's has a certain ambiance that places like the [Crimson Sports Grille] lack.

"It's uncluttered by Harvard traffic. It's a sacred space," he says.

Charlie's caters to beer connoisseurs, offering ales such as seasonal Sam Adams Oktoberfest and Harpoon Indian Pale Ale.

Grey also serves up her unique Boston iced tea, though she won't reveal its ingredients on the grounds that it would give competitors the secret of Charlie's success.

The food, though, isn't too exotic. It's mainly an abbreviated version of the typical New Jersey diner's seven-page layout. Its only foray into the international style is the Teriyaki tips with potatoes, salad and rice for $6.95.

Mostly, there's seafood and Italian specialties. There's also fried shrimp filled with cream cheese for $4.75 and the open-faced steak sandwich for $5.75.

Lambrooks comes in to the restaurant every night around 9 p.m. to empty the cash register. With his trusty cigar in hand, he dims the lights, takes the money out and moves on.

"It looks like a scene straight out of 'Goodfellas,'" Melzack says.

While the student clientele has shrunk, the menu hasn't changed, and the employees are still there. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Grey says, "It may be busy, and things do move fast. But people always feel like they can sit back and get comfy."