The All-American Diner

A classic of classics, like baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and Chevrolet...that's the all-American diner! Often epitomized with an exterior of stainless steel, the diner is unique in its architecture. Then, of course, there is the interior: a casual atmosphere, a counter, stools and service area along a back wall.  

The Rosebud Diner, top right photo, is a restored 1941 Worcester Lunch Car #773, as it appeared in 2012. Somerville, MA

The Bendix Diner, lower right photo, in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, is an example of Art Deco style and neon signage.

Photo credit: wikipedia.org

But, how did it all get started and by whom?

Embrace the Past... How did diners begin?

Walter Scott, a part-time pressman and type compositor in Providence, Rhode Island, founded the first diner. It all started around 1858 with Scott supplementing his income by selling sandwiches and coffee from a basket. Newspaper night workers welcomed the services and by 1872, he had developed a very lucrative business. So much so, he quit his printing work and sold food at night from a horse-drawn covered express wagon parked outside the Providence Journal newspaper office. Walter Scott unknowingly inspired the birth oif what would become one of America's most recognized icons -- the diner. 

Empower the Present... Are diners still around today?

The interest in the American Diner continues today. Just ask Guy Fieri of Drive-ins, Diners and Dives! A significant number of vintage diners have been rescued from demolition and relocated to new sites in the United States and Europe. Manufacturers of diner structures are experiencing new orders or remodeling projects in a retro style. 

Photo credit: Marilyn Armstrong, author of The 12-Foot Teepee

You can visit Marilyn at her blog, Serendipity, where you will be enlightened by her writing, nature, photography, history, arts, nostalgia, humor and so much more!

Enrich the Future... How can the diner be preserved?

Since diners became a part of the American landscape more than 100 years ago, the culture has been affected in many ways. The influence of lunch wagons and diners have touched almost every aspect of life including cooking, dining out, popular culture, design, fashion and so much more. 

"A recommendation from the American Diner Museum is to help preserve diners by keeping them in business. Whenever possible visit a diner to share a meal and conversation with others." Once you do you will find yourself coming back over and over again!

Have you visited a diner? If so, when and where?