The front corner of Magoon’s Famous Delicatessen is filled with diners who, at this particular moment, are shouting back and forth across the tables and aisle. The group of former Quaker employees is trying to figure out the name of an old foreman who worked there for a couple of years.

“This happens every time,” says Teresa Hernandez, shaking her head and smiling.

Eight years after the Quaker plant closed, after the workers retired or found new jobs, after they’ve gone their separate ways, they still talk about the plant during their monthly lunch meetings.

The lunches started shortly after the Quaker plant closed in 2001.

“We worked together for so many years,” she says. “It’s like a family, and you don’t want to lose contact.”

“You spent more time with them than some of your own family,” adds Anna Peterson.

That Quaker family was split when the plant closed, which Ms. Peterson says came as a surprise. As the plant closing drew closer, workers began to realize that they were losing more than just their jobs and benefits; they would no longer be working side by side with their friends.

“Towards the end, we ... thought about it more,” she says. “People were doing more exchanging of addresses and phone numbers that you normally wouldn’t have.”

“We were all very sad,” adds Donna Pile. “... We had a lot of fun there.”

They have a lot of fun at the lunches, too. Whether it’s telling old stories from their days at the plant, chatting about their families or new jobs or updating each other on other former employees, the lunches are filled with talk, laughter and memories. It’s a kind of bond that goes deeper than just co-workers.

“I knew all these people for 20 or more years,” says Linda King, who drives from Council Bluff, Iowa, for the lunches. “It’s like a family reunion.”

At the first lunch meet-up, there were so many employees they filled the dining room of the Ground Round. These days, a typical lunch brings about 25 former employees each month, workers from every department of the Quaker plant.

The lunches are only one way the group stays connected. Ms. Hernandez tries to keep track of what people are doing so she can send out monthly e-mails to the group. She brings a folder to every meeting, where people can sign in and share what they’re doing now. She keeps a list of where everyone is living and working and a list of those who have passed on. And though she knows where many of the employees are, there are still many she can’t find.

“There were over 600 employees at Quaker,” Ms. Hernandez says. “We can’t keep track of everyone.”

But they try. And the monthly lunches together help. While there are pockets of people who keep in touch and get together outside of the lunches, for some, the lunches are the only chance to catch up with many of their old coworkers.

“Some of them, I would never see except for the lunch,” Ms. Peterson says.

And while meeting for lunch every month for eight years might seem impressive to those on the outside, to the Quaker group it’s not such a big deal.

“Eight years doesn’t seem that long when you worked 30 years together,” Ms. King says.

As the group finishes up lunch, people wrap up their conversations and hug each other goodbye. They agree on their next meeting place and date, Red Lobster on June 17. And, just as they have done for years, they part ways knowing they’ll see each other next month.

Lifestyles reporter Lacey Storer can be reached at lstorer@npgco.com