KEYPORT — If good things come to those who wait, then it should be just a matter of time before the Silver Bell Grill lives up to its owners’ expectations.

Currently, the diner, located just a stone’s throw from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, primarily serves a lunch menu replete with sandwiches, hamburgers and salads, but John and Karen Bell have bigger dreams.

“When we moved out here, we expected to be open in a month, but it took us eight weeks to get our occupancy permit,” John Bell explained as he sat at the restaurant’s old-fashioned lunch counter.

The restaurant is the third one the Bells have operated as they moved from Viking Way to the Twelve Trees Business Park before relocating to Keyport.

“People liked our dinner menu but there wasn’t enough demand to support it,” he said. “We hope to bring it back in the future.”

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to serve the lunch crowd from the NUWC and local businesses.

“When we were at the business park, we were primarily a sandwich shop, and we had hoped to expand once we got out here,” Bell said.

Even though things have gone slower than expected, service and quality remain at a premium, he explained.

“We have a great food value and we’ve (also) strived to make it a homestyle place where you can bring your kids and eat,” Bell said.

Before opening, most of the work involved clean-up and other cosmetic touches to enhance the relaxed atmosphere the couple aims to provide, he remarked.

The Bells offer everything from grilled cheese to corned beef sandwiches on six kinds of bread with four varieties of cheese with fries, green salad or soup and a small soda.

“All of our soups are made from scratch,” Karen Bell added.

Hot sandwiches, including chili burgers with cheese and Reubens, are available as well. Fridays offer something special for customers at the restaurant as fish and chips are served.

For customers who are in a hurry and don’t have time to wait, John Bell recommends calling ahead or faxing orders for pick up when they arrive.

“We’ve do quite a bit of business that way and I’d estimate that about 40 percent of our business comes from that,” he said.

Even though the Silver Bell Grill is in its infancy, it welcomes groups of up to 30, but recommends that groups call ahead.