JERSEY CITY — “Ahhh, I love politics,” sighed Zoe Bournias, 27, the hostess at the Brownstone Diner and Pancake Factory, which through no choice of its own has become part of the New Jersey political establishment.

It was the middle of the Saturday morning breakfast rush, and Ms. Bournias, whose family owns the Brownstone, was pushing her way through a crowd of campaign staffers, reporters and photographers so she could tend to her paying customers.

Senator Robert Menendez had just dropped by to shake a few hands and rustle up support for his colleague across the Hudson River, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. It was a routine the Bournias family has become familiar with over the years.

Politicians love the Brownstone. Two weeks ago, it was a stopover for supporters of Senator Barack Obama, Mrs. Clinton’s rival for the Democratic nomination. Gov. Jon S. Corzine has stopped in recently, as has Dennis J. Kucinich, the Ohio congressman who recently abandoned his own race for the Democratic nomination.

The Brownstone is a fixture here. It’s the kind of place where the staff knows its customers on a first-name basis, and the kitchen serves everything from a blueberry waffles to a nicoise salad.

The Bournias family can’t really explain why their humble establishment has become a regular campaign stop. But they seem to appreciate that it’s given them a front seat to the democratic process.

“We’ve been in the neighborhood so many years that the politicians appreciate it,” said Maria Bournias, 30, one of three children of the owner, Peter Bournias. Maria is a lawyer during the week but helps out at the restaurant on weekends. “Otherwise I’d never see my family,” she said.

The regular customers have learned to take all the politicking at the Brownstone in stride.

“Are you guys going to have McCain in here next,” joked Kate Klenfner, 29, who works in development for a local after-school program.

Some customers have actually used the drop-ins from politicians as a chance to air their grievances.

“A lot of people actually put them on the spot,” Zoe Bournias said, recalling how Mr. Corzine got a grilling once about New Jersey’s troubled financial state. “ With Corzine, with the budget, people were going crazy on him. But he handled it well. I was very impressed.”

The Bournias sisters said they were leaning toward voting for Mrs. Clinton in Tuesday’s primary but maintain they are politically independent.

“We go with the flow,” Zoe said, sounding mindful of the fact that at any given moment another politician could drop in.

By Jeremy W. Peters