Laughter spills outside as the door opens at the Hot Metal Diner, the sound coming from women sitting in the back of the 1950s-style diner in West Mifflin.

It's another meeting of the Diner Ladies, a group of five women connected by their independent ownership of five diners scattered throughout the region.

Dubbing themselves the Diner Ladies, their friendship has grown into a loose business alliance. The women have pooled their resources to launch a Web site and television ad campaign to raise awareness and build business at each of the five eateries.

"It's a great little network," said Kelly O'Connor, owner of Kelly O's at 1130 Perry Highway in the Perrysville section of Ross. She believes that by pooling resources, the diner owners will be able to spread the word about their independently owned establishments and compete against chains, which have more advertising dollars.

"People forget about independent businesses like us. We're a hidden secret. We want to be out there with the big dogs," she said.

The message emphasizes each diner's individual style and commitment to quality food and service.

"We have a lot of Pittsburgh pride," Ms. O'Connor said. "We support the local products. Everything is fresh at my place, and all of my soups are homemade."

Sherree Goldstein, owner of Square Cafe at 1137 S. Braddock Ave. in Edgewood, agreed.

"Nothing comes from a bag or a carton. Everything is made from scratch."

Peggy Folino, owner of Tom's Diner at 1715 E. Carson St. on the South Side, is the only one of the Diner Ladies who has experience in owning a restaurant. She grew up behind the counter of her family's diner of the same name in Dormont.

In 1998, she and her husband, Anthony, opened the South Side location, where he is executive chef. The pair now also own Folino's Ristorante next door along with a catering business.

The other four Diner Ladies became restaurant owners with very little experience.

In 2001, Ms. O'Connor decided to quit her job as a waitress and buy her own restaurant. She walked into the diner where Kelly O's is now located in Pines Plaza and asked if the business was for sale. "I had never been in the place before," she said. When she was told no, she left her name and number.

"They called the next day," she said. She scraped together some money by refinancing her house and worked out a deal with the previous owner.

Donna Cole saw her sister's success at Kelly O's and, after 28 years as an employee at Giant Eagle, opened Cole Cafe in April 2002 at 1718 Mount Royal Blvd. in Shaler.

"I had never poured one cup of coffee before I opened my diner," she said.

"Working for a big company opened my eyes to the way that big business looks at small businesses," Ms. Cole said. "I would like to see a revival of small mom-and-pop businesses run by real people. I think they have more integrity."

Ms. Cole believes it's a myth that banks are anxious to give loans to women. She refinanced her home to purchase the diner. She recently launched a catering business as well.

Wendy Betten had years of experience as a waitress and bartender and offered to help her friend, Ms. O'Connor, at her new diner. It wasn't long before Ms. Betten also caught the fever.

She bought Bob's Diner on Noblestown Road after seeing it listed for sale in the newspaper. Ms. Betten sold that diner in 2006 after five years. She briefly retired, then used the proceeds to open the Hot Metal Diner at 1025 Lebanon Road in October 2007.

In May 2003, Ms. Goldstein opened Square Cafe with a partner. In September 2006, the two parted ways, leaving Ms. Goldstein the sole owner. She said Square Cafe quickly became a central part of the Regent Square business district. "We tripled our [sales] projections within the first three months."

Ms. Goldstein acknowledged that running the diner is the hardest job she's ever had, but she loves owning her cafe.

"I only had three days off last month, but I see new people every day, and I feel like an important part of the community -- just flipping eggs makes an impact."

Ms. Betten said all five women in the Diner Ladies alliance have an ambitious streak.

"We always knew that we could do better and we all wanted more," she said.

Ms. Goldstein agreed that a person has to have a "self-sustaining attitude" to succeed in the restaurant business.

The Diner Ladies' meeting at the Hot Metal Diner included finalizing the first installment of several TV ads that will run on KDKA and the CW network.

Mary Prezioso, senior account executive at Pittsburgh CW/KDKA-TV, said this type of business alliance is rare.

Other items on the agenda included a proposed menu selection to be served at all five locations.

"We need an item that will tie us all together," Ms. Folino said. She suggested croissant French toast.

Ms. Betten yelled an order into the kitchen, and in minutes, two dishes appear for the Diner Ladies to try -- thinly sliced, fried croissants sprinkled with powered sugar and strawberries.

Ms. Goldstein took a bite, hesitated and wondered aloud whether the dish would work at her restaurant.

"Her people eat tofu," Ms. Betten explained, with a nod to Ms. Goldstein's report that her customers at Square Cafe prefer items such as goat cheese and asparagus in a breakfast frittata.

The women agreed, however, to make the item a future special.

Ms. Folino said the ad campaign will be successful if it persuades people to choose their local establishments over chain restaurants.

"If we can switch one or two people, then we've made a difference. We're not sitting behind a big corporate desk, we're living it."

More information is available at www.dinerladies.com.