On Halloween, Alice's latest heartthrob asks her to shepherd his four kids for the evening.

Mel gives Tommy advice on how to charm the ladies, which Tommy promptly applies to Mel's niece.

Alice blows the whistle on Tommy's basketball playing when his grades start to slip.

After getting hooked on soap operas, Vera becomes a washout at work and later quits.

A book on building self-confidence inspires Vera to become ""the best little waitress in the world!"" Later, Mel leaves a newly confident Vera in charge of the diner.

Alice is visited by a high-school chum who's still suffering from her teenage inferiority complex.

Determined to leave her mark on the world, Vera sets out to break the tap dancing endurance record.

Mel becomes despondent when he realizes he has no heirs.

Mel has a beef with his mother who wants to publish his secret chili recipe in her new cookbook.

Vera returns from her high-school reunion with stars in her eyes and a sparkler on her finger.

Mel happily envisions a rent-free future when his mother buys his apartment building but surprises him when she announces a $50 rent increase.

Mel considers getting a nose job while undergoing surgery for a deviated septum.

Mel borrows $10,000 against the diner to bet on a 90-to-1 nag.

Against Mel's orders, Vera cashes a check for an old flame, who's nowhere to be found when it bounces.

It's Alice's 40th birthday, and for the milestone she gets a millstone, a visit from her meddling mother.

Valentine's Day promises anything but hearts and flowers for the diner staff, who all quarrel with their dates.

Smooth operator Mel teaches his shy cousin, Wendell, how to score with Vera.

Alice's actress friend from New York persuades Tommy that he has a brilliant future on Broadway.

To counter a competitor whose contest is drawing customers, Mel launches one too and ups the ante to $3000.

The ghost of a partner past gives Mel the dickens on Christmas Eve after Mel fired Alice, Jolene and Vera.

To help Jolene's exhausted good buddy, the girls drive his rig to a mining town, blissfully unaware that they're hauling dynamite.

A jilted acquaintance flips for Alice on the first bounce and when she doesn't reciprocate his feelings he threatens to jump from the Mel's Diner sign.

A towel boy from the Russian ballet takes refuge in Mel's storeroom.

Alice's spirit inspires a biker to recruit her as his ""old lady.""