The stars of the Rainbow menu are hamburgers, homemade soups and hard rolls. It has strictly grandmother-style home cooking-- hash, Irish stew and chops.

The Rainbow's other ornaments are its waitresses-- patient, silver-haired professionals with names like Rose, Hermina, Dorea and La Vaughn. Some of the total staff of 75 hope to stay on after the remodeling, but a few have made other plans.

Waitress Mabel King considers herself "a new girl." She has only worked at the Rainbow for 13 years, while Hulda Westgard is a veteran with 39 years to her credit. Ruth Scheftel, the accountant, has been with the Rainbow for 54 years, but she's casual about her record. "It's nothing, really. I jus wanted a summer job while I went to college, but I stayed on," she said.

"I grew up in here," said Amanda Lillard, who has been a Rainbow waitress for 29 years. "I'm glad they're closing 'cause it's the only I'll get out of here other than in a box. Oh, I quite twice, but I came running back before they had a chance to miss me."