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Before franchised eateries, we had the diner |
| We took them for granted, on our
early road trips. Like the Burma-Shave signs, we never asked where they came
from; they were just there. Gleaming stainless steel diners which dotted the
landscape of rural America. |
Prospect Diner, Lincoln Highway (SR 462) Lancaster, PA
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| There was one in my hometown. Karter's Diner, on US
18, Brookfield, Wisconsin. We could order a malt or a burger, from a waitress named
Alice; then select a tune from the Seeburg Jukebox without ever leaving our booth.
Turn the knob and dozens of choices would appear. Drop in a quarter for three
songs. Punch in the numbers, E-1, D-4, K-6. And soon the most beautiful music
you have ever heard would fill the room. "All Alone Am I" (Brenda Lee),
"I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" (Elvis Presley), and "The End Of
The World" (Skeeter Davis). Where have all the diners
gone? Better yet, where did they come from in the first place? I decided to do
some research. An article by Donald Dale Jackson, published in the November, 1986 Smithsonian
magazine gave me a start.
What the diner was: The steel diner was built in a factory, and
shipped, sometimes intact, sometimes as a pre-fab to be assembled on site. It had a
counter, with stools, and a grill. Some also had booths. Many were built on
assembly lines, with identification number plates riveted onto the steel, just like a
motor vehicle.
What the diner was not: A diner did not have tablecloths, did not
take reservations, or require that jackets be worn. They did not have "please
wait to be seated" signs, rented plants, no-smoking areas, or serve gourmet
food.
The diner began as a mobile lunch wagon in Providence, Rhode Island
around 1872, and became such a success that they were mass-produced. Then as
electric streetcars came into being, the obsolete horse-drawn trolleys were converted into
lunch wagons.
Patrick J. (Pop) Tierney, of New Rochelle, New York, is considered to be the father of the
mass-produced steel diner. "Pop Tierney was to the diner, what Henry Ford was
to the automobile." says Randy Garbin, publisher of Roadside, a newspaper
devoted exclusively to preservation of diners and other historic roadside treasures.
Tierney's factory built them at the rate of one a day, sold them on credit, and financed
the buyer. He changed the name from lunch wagons to "dining cars", taking
advantage of America's affection for the Pullman dining cars on the railroads. Since
the manufacturer was also the finance company, it was in his interest to make the diner
profitable; he did this by providing training and business advice. Tierney died a
millionaire in 1917. Ironically, the cause of death was "acute
indigestion". |
Prospect Diner, Lincoln Highway (SR 462) Lancaster, PA
|
Jackson suggests he died from a meal he had eaten at one of
his own diners! Garbin, however, doubts that story. "I believe the food
was served at a family get-together or company dinner." |
|
| Many other manufacturers can be traced back to
Tierney. Sam Kullman, Tierney's accountant, quit and began his own diner
manufacturing company. Nearly 100 other manufacturers have come and gone over the
years. At their peak, just before WW II, there were 20 manufacturers, most of them
in the Northeast. Although factory-built, the purchaser could order the diner to be
customized, from a large assortment of colors and equipment. By
the 1920's, diners grew, and included booths to accommodate women, who disliked sitting on
the stools. Jerry O'Mahony of Bayonne, New Jersey, one of the leading manufacturers,
delivered a turn-key diner operation complete with dishes, glasses, cutlery and cookware
for about $7,000. "That was the appeal," says Randy Garbin, "The
customer would order the diner from a company brochure, and 3 months later, he'd be in
business!" |
| At least three steel diners
nationwide have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of
these, Mickey's Diner, erected in 1939 in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, sits on a busy
intersection, dwarfed by skyscrapers. Developers would love to tear it down and
replace it with more concrete, but that will not happen, thanks to its protected status! |
Mickey's Diner, St. Paul, Minnesota, Since 1939, and now on
National Register
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Now that everything old is in vogue
again, there are a number of restaurateurs who would cash in on the nostalgia of the old
steel diner design. Forbes magazine says that clone diner chains are showing
up in big cities like Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The modern diners feature
1950's music, thick milkshakes, and burgers. Denny's is cashing in too, with Denny's
Classic Diners, built by Starlite Diners of Ormond Beach, Florida.
Most of the diner manufacturers were located in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts;
and not surprisingly, that region of our country has the largest number of steel
diners. Many remain open as diners today. Watch for them, the next time you
drive America's backroads! When you do find one, see if you can find the
manufacturer's I.D. plate, often above the entrance door. Look for brand names like
Silk City, Kullman, Mountain View, Worcester, or O'Mahony. -L.E.
- More reading: The American Diner, Then
And Now. by Richard J. S. Gutman.
Click here to
order the book from Amazon.com.
A permanent home for the American Diner Museum is being established in Providence, Rhode
Island to celebrate the culture and preserve the colorful history of this unique American
institution. The Museum will be a tribute to the individuals who built, operated and
worked in the diners and to those who continue the diner tradition into the 21st century.
http://www.americandinermuseum.org
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Prospect Mountain Diner
Lake George, New York
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- And look at Ohio Diners for a
list of all the steel diners in Ohio, plus a company that restores old diners. They have
restored diners for sale, and parts for sale.
Diner-Mite designs and manufactures gleaming stainless steel diners to order.
http://www.dinermite.com./
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