AMERICA'S LUCKIEST DINER THAT KEEPS SELLING MILLION-DOLLAR LOTTERY TICKETS - AND IT'S ON NANTUCKET
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It is famed as a destination for billionaires - and visiting this diner in Nantucket could dramatically increase your chances of joining the ranks of the wealthy.
Old South Diner has sold four million-dollar scratch tickets since March 2024, with the most recent winner trading in her $2 million jackpot on Wednesday.
Manager Vinod VK chalked up the rampant winnings to the diner's charm and novelty.
'I don't know what to say, but this is a pretty lucky place,' he told the Boston Globe. 'For everybody, I think. It's a cool community over here, you know.'
Resident Yancy Contreras Menjivar purchased the most recent winner from Old South, which extends into a combination convenience store and restaurant called Dragon by the Sea.
It's renowned island-wide for its pizza, lottery tickets and what they claim is the only Chinese food in the billionaire's paradise.
The businesses, which are under the same ownership, received a $20,000 payout from the most recent winning ticket.
That's on top of the $60,000 on bonuses that the humble diner has already raked in thanks to past instant millionaires.
Not only did Contreras Menjivar become a millionaire, but she was also the first major winner of the brand-new Massachusetts $2,000,000 Stacked ticket game.
The 26-year-old opted to cash in for a $1.3 million one-time payout. She plans to save her winnings.
The lucky streak was started in March 2024 by Jose Fontanez, who purchased a winning scratch-off while visiting from Boston.
Fontanez traded in his $10 ticket for a $1 million prize, reported CBS.
The win was followed up two months later by Garen Downie, a resident of Hyannis on Cape Cod, who worked on Nantucket.
In May 2024, Downie exchanged a Lifetime Millions $50 scratcher for a $2 million prize.
In August of the same year, Nantucket chef Sean Durnin made $1 million from a $20 ticket.
Durnin bought the $10,000,000 Bonanza scratcher while taking a break from delivering food.
A representative for the Massachusetts lottery told the Nantucket Current that multiple people winning big after purchasing tickets from the same location is not as uncommon as one might think.
'The more tickets a store sells, the more likely they are to have a big winner,' they said.
'Old South Diner has consistently been among the top 10 percent of agents in recent years. Several other locations have had multiple prizes of $1 million or more in a short span of time.'
VK began managing the restaurant four years ago, and has seen every winner come through.
Despite a year and a half hiatus between jackpots, he's convinced that the diner's luck has yet to run out.
'I have the feeling that there's gonna be more,' VK said. 'This is the place where you win money.'
The Daily Mail contacted Old South Diner and the Massachusetts Lottery for comment.
Read more 2026-03-06T21:27:27Z