Road Island Diner - Oakley, UT

Tommy's Deluxe Diner
photo courtesy of
photosonflickr

Today is the grand opening of the Road Island Diner. When Tommy's Deluxe Diner left Middletown, Rhode Island in July 2007, we followed Keith Walker's restoration of the 1939 O'Mahony diner into the Road Island Diner through its website gallery. It was an ambitious project and there's nothing finer than a restored diner. We're anxious to visit. Read the entire news article here.

At left is Tommy's after it had closed. External and internal pictures of the restored Road Island diner are in firstyearta's flickr photostream here.

For more pictures of diners, we invite you to visit our flickr photostream here.


Road Island Diner
981 Weber Canyon Road
Oakley, UT
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Edgemere Diner - Shrewsbury, MA

Edgemere Diner exterior,
© 2006 DinerHistory.com file photo

A reader alerted us to this recent article about the former Edgemere Diner. Just a couple weeks prior, this article was published. Both repeat parts of other articles we've seen in the past, detailing the background of the owner.

As the result of a tax issue, the town acquired the 1948 Fodero Dining Car Company diner in October 1995. Ever since its been a revolving door of two year leases.It wasn't until March 2005 when that process ended. Restrictions were changed yet it failed to attract serious offers. A few more changes and late last year the town found an acceptable buyer.

Edgemere Diner interior,
© 2006 DinerHistory.com file photo

The former diner reopened this past March as the Edge. Though in a diner, yet casting off traditional diner food, the Edge limits its menu to sausage and hot dog products. A video about the Edge is available here.

While a diner that only serves hot dogs isn't a new idea, we wonder just how viable it will be for the Edge. Tex Barry's Coney Island Hot Dogs on the other hand, has been around for generations doing just this. Recently Tex Barry's appeared in a segment for the Chronicle, Boston's ABC affiliate, WCVB TV Channel 5 nightly news program. Click to watch the video. Richard J. S. Gutman, diner expert and curator of the only known exhibition of collected diner history and a real Worcester Lunch Car Company diner, provides insightful commentary. More information on the diner exhibit is found here. Be sure to watch the entire video as the Lanna Thai and the Liberty Elm diners also make an appearance. A correction to the video is the Liberty Elm has switched to their expanded summer hours.

We made a visit to the diner this past January and was disappointed they had painted over the Art Deco lettering on the diner's exterior. The Edge is on our list to visit next time we are in the area.


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The Edge
51 Hartford Ave.
Shrewsbury, MA
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Lanna Thai Diner
901 Main St.
Woburn, MA
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Liberty Elm Diner
777 Elmwood Ave.
Providence, RI
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Tex Barry's Coney Island Hot Dogs
31 County St.
Attleboro, MA
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Starlite Diner - North Little Rock, AR

IMG_0714
Originally uploaded by Dale Miller
and appears here under Creative
Commons license here.

A reader sent us a link to an article about the Starlite Diner. This was news to us and admittedly, we would have rather read that the diner is in new hands. Instead it seems the diner is the subject of a "suspicious" fire that broke out at 2AM Monday morning. Read the entire article here.

It was known that the diner has been for sale for a while. It was posted multiple times on a well known Internet auction website, as far back as the end of last year. Each time the auction ended unsuccessfully. We don't know if the diner was open or closed at the time of the fire. Back in April this article was written describing business was down.
Given the construction method of the Starlite, restoration shouldn't be a problem. Perhaps this would be an opportune time to bring the interior back to the days of terrazzo, Formica and tile?

flickr photo of diner exterior here.

For more pictures of diners, we invite you to visit our flickr photostream here.


Starlite Diner
250 E Military Dr.
North Little Rock, AR
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Foster Street Diner - Peabody, MA

Foster Street Diner

Back in October 2007, Brian Lightbown, owner of Inline Auto Body purchased the land at 94 Foster Street, intending to use it as a parking lot. There was a posting on an online classified ad site listing the diner for sale, though he was not able to give the diner away. An article in the Salem News provides an update on the situation. Reportedly, the diner will move to storage in Rhode Island later this week. Read the article here.

This diner was car number 598 and manufactured by the Worcester Lunch Car Company in 1928. When we visited the diner, we noticed the interior retains many of its original characteristics.

Tin Man Diner

The counter's front wall is covered in white rectangular tile with a narrow black tile geometric pattern. The picture to the left shows the interior of the Tin Man diner, as an example, albeit a different geometric and color. It would be around a decade later before Worcester used the single tile stripe bordered by stainless steel on the counter and inside walls.

The floor is covered in small ceramic hexagon tiles. Bordering the edge is an intricate mosaic of small square tiles. You just won't see this replicated in any of the newer diners.

Similarly to the picture at left, the Foster Street also has its counter stools connected together with a foot rail. Though the stool top, pedestal and base are different. The Tin Man's pedestals are smooth circular and Foster's is a square pyramid style with a square base. Foster's also has the hardwood circular stool tops.

The Foster is a small diner making transportation easier. It would fill a niche operating as a stand alone diner or part of a larger facility. We hope it won't be long before this one is back in service.


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Tin Man Diner
70 County Rd.
North Falmouth, MA
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Cosmo's Diner - Chesapeake, VA

8/7/2008 Update: new article posted here.

P5060297
Originally uploaded by Tidewater Muse
and appears here under a Creative
Commons license

Soon it will be not only Elvis, but the entire building leaving too. Articles here, here, and here lead us to believe the former Cosmo's (pictured at left) has found a new home. The diner appeared during late February / early March 2008 on an Internet auction website. Although listed as a 1998, information we have suggests Cosmo's was a 1997 Starlite brand diner. Reportedly the land was sold to a drug store chain necessitating the sale.

The diner is on its way to the Moneta, VA area where it will be next to a planned drive-in theater. Though delayed, construction in the vicinity of Routes 122 and 608 is expected to begin soon. Bob Craig, the new owner expects to have the Mayberry Drive-in Theater and Diner open around September 2008.

Take a look at the rest of Tidewater Muse's photos for interior pictures of Cosmo's.

Here's a map of the general area where it's expected to be located.



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Mt. Pisgah Diner - Winchester, NH

As so many others, the town of Winchester, New Hampshire is discussing ways to revitalize the area and attract new businesses. It's another old New England mill / manufacturing town of days gone by. Amidst all the talk in the article, two things stood out: things change and keep the diner. A quote from the article is shown below.

"'Growth is inevitable. We learned (Friday) that it's desirable,' he said. 'The destruction of community character is not.'" -- PLAN NH President Michael J. Castagna

Mt. Pisgah Diner

Back in July 2005 we approached the Mount Pisgah Diner with a bit of caution. Was it the minty green mixed media exterior? Maybe the altered roof line? It was apparent this 1941 Worcester Lunch Car Company diner has experienced a few of those "inevitable" changes over the years.

Inside, the first detail we noticed the counter top. It was Caf-O-Lite, a Formica like material. Hmmm. . . Aren't all diners of that era supposed to have a Tennessee marble counter top? Next, just like the Day and Night diner, it has the more economical porcelain walls. Other changes included removal of the booths, fluorescent tube ceiling lights and replacement of wall light fixtures.


Nearby, there are other diner cars; T.J. Buckley and Chelsea Royal Diner. Though, forty-five minutes away is a similar Worcester, the Miss Bellows Falls Diner. Upon our arrival at the Miss Bellows, the diner was closed and in transition between owners, so it's on our list to re-visit. Until then, Kaszeta blogged the experience here.


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Chelsea Royal
487 Marlboro Rd.
West Brattleboro, VT
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Miss Bellows Falls Diner
90 Rockingham St.
Bellows Falls, VT
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Mt. Pisgah Diner
18 Main St.
Winchester, NH
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T.J. Buckley
132 Elliot St.
Brattleboro, VT
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Day and Night Diner - Palmer, MA

From time to time, we see inquiries about diners being used in movies. Perhaps that's because an authentic vintage diner provides an ambiance that's not easily replicated on a sound stage. In last Friday's post we mentioned U.S. 40's cameo. Not to be out done, the Day and Night will appear in the independent film, "Cruelty" according to Marci Izard's article. Scenes are expected to be shot later this year. Not too long ago Collin's diner made its own appearance in a film.

Day and Night Diner

Karl Williams the owner, is pictured here leaning on the counter. During our visit we noticed the diner retains many of its original features. The counter is an important part of the diner experience. You can see the front wall of the counter is porcelain enamel, rather than tile. Notice the wear on the stool posts--a sign that many customers have eaten there over the years. Though not in Charles Gemme's drawing of the diner, next to Karl on the counter is an Amesbury display case. In the floor tile, the darker squares are actually four individual tiles; two black and two brown positioned diagonally from each other checkerboard style. Above the windows is the commonly seen stained glass feature. Much of the craftsmanship that went into producing these diners just isn't replicated in today's structures.

The Day and Night was manufactured by the Worcester Lunch Car Company and delivered in May 1944.


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Collin's Diner
53 Main St.
Canaan, CT
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Day and Night Diner
1456 North Main St.
Palmer, MA
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U.S. 40 Diner
3122 E Main St.
Plainfield, IN
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Aero Diner - North Windham, CT

Sharma Howard of the Norwich Bulletin mentioned the Aero Diner in today's article, "Rediscovering: The Route 6 Corridor." The entire article is online here.

Back in early 2005 the diner was awoken from its slumber on Route 32 in South Windham. Tony Lent and William Masopust had the vision to put this diner back into service. Moving six miles North it now resides at 61 Boston Post Road.

pre-Aero Diner

This picture was taken a few months after it arrived. It sat under a tarp and on cribbing awaiting its foundation. Restoration and site preparation work progressed over the subsequent months.

Aero Diner

Almost a year later, the picture on the right was taken during a visit not too long after the diner had opened for business. As you can see, the patio in front of the diner was in the process of being built. In looking over the diner, we thought the restoration turned out nice. An addition was added to the rear of the diner housing both the kitchen and extra seating. On the walls in the addition were pictures of this 1958 Bramson Engineering Company diner in its former lives. Note the large forward slanting windows and the height of the stainless steel wrapping around the roof line. The windows remind us of an airport control tower. Speaking of which, the Windham Airport is located in close proximity to the diner.

Next time we are in the area, we'll visit the Aero again and report on how its fared since our last visit.


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Aero Diner
361 Boston Post Rd.
North Windham, CT
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For more pictures of diners, we invite you to visit our flickr photostream here.

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U.S. 40 Diner - Plainfield, IN

The Diner, or more recently know as the U.S. 40 Diner, makes an appearance in the film, "The Fresh Air Will Do You Good." "The G-rated movie is a 45-minute science fiction mystery and thriller to premier Sept. 28 at a B-movie festival in Franklin's Artcraft Theater." Read the entire article here. The U.S. 40 Diner is a 1950's Mountain View diner.


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U.S. 40 Diner
3122 E Main St.
Plainfield, IN

Google Street View is available in the map link below which shows an exterior picture of diner. An interior photo can be seen in milkbottledude's flickr photostream.

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Forum Diner - Paramus, NJ

Although widely reported on the Internet and print media, Kelly Heyboer of The Star-Ledger is the latest to mention Michael Perlman's effort. For those that aren't familiar with his works, he's responsible for saving the Moondance and Cheyenne diners in NYC. We'll see if past successes can continue and save the Forum Diner Paramus, NJ.

Pictures of the Forum here.

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Arnold's Classic Diner - Rapid City, SD

The former Denny's Classic Diner on Mount Rushmore Road, arrived at it's new location in the early morning hours of July 20, 2007. Several months later, David and Tracy Bradsky reopened it late January 2008. Recently Jomay Steen of the Rapid City Journal remarked their malts were the "gold standard" in this article.

Arnold's is open daily 6AM - 10PM. More information including interior pictures here.


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Arnold's Classic Diner
Interstate 90 and La Crosse Street
Rapid City, SD
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Today in Diner History. . .

On this date in 1937, Bertron G. Harley was awarded design patent #D110000 for his diner design. View the entire patent here.


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Tin Man Diner - North Falmouth, MA

New article about the Tin Man posted here.

Tin Man Diner

Back in March 2008, the RoadsideOnline site reported this diner was reopening. In the weeks and months following, we scanned the newswire in anticipation of updates on the diner.

If you haven't seen the past news articles, the original My Tin Man diner was damaged in a fire on November 24, 2000. Almost three years later what remained of a 1941 Sterling Streamliner was moved into a field next to the Handy Hill Creamery, in Westport, MA. While it looks doubtful whether it will be restored, Steve Harwin of Diversified Diners has brought back many diners thought beyond restoration by others.When we visited the diner last Sunday, Barbara Lind was outside getting things ready for an inspection prior to approval for reopening. She graciously gave us a tour and spoke about it took to reopen the former Wendell's. The diner's condition had deteriorated over the years and it sat unoccupied for last three years. The picture to the right can only show part of this hard work and determination. We look forward to visiting again.

It's expected that the Tin Man diner will be open 7AM to 7PM.

For more pictures of diners, we invite you to visit our flickr photostream here.


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Diversified Diners
Cleveland, OH

Tin Man Diner
70 County Rd.
North Falmouth, MA
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