RI - PROVIDENCE. Liberty Elm Diner

Liberty Elm Diner,© 2008 DinerHistory.com
file photo

Back in July of 2009 we wrote about our visit to the Elm. We've visited this 1947 Worcester Lunch Car Company built diner a number of times in the past. However on that day's visit, Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" producers had sent a video crew to the diner.

We wondered what brought "DDD" as it is sometimes referred to Providence? Was it this diner's seasonal incorporation of locally grown ingredients into daily specials? The diverse music performed during "Americana Breakfast Club" on Sundays? Or the free WiFi? Tune in February 22, 2010, when the episode airs on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." Though the program starts at 10PM Eastern, check your local listings for your region and times when it will be on again.

Visit the diner's facebook page for more information about a viewing party that is in the works. Better yet, stop by today and let them know the people at DinerHistory.com sent you.


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Liberty Elm Diner
777 Elmwood Ave.
Providence, RI
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Liberty Elm Diner

Liberty Elm Diner,
© 2008 DinerHistory.com file photo

Providence, RI
Today the Liberty Elm, a 1947 Worcester Lunch Car Company built diner, celebrates it's second anniversary. Carol "Kip" DeFeciani and Diane “Tink” Horstmyer are the owner/operators of the diner.

Stop in today for some good food and conversation. Be sure to let them know the staff at Diner News and History sent you.



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Liberty Elm Diner
777 Elmwood Ave.
Providence, RI
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In the News - Liberty Elm Diner

We received an email from the crew at the diner. It's existence as a neighborhood diner, and woman owned small business in Rhode Island is in a precarious position. The diner was one of 1,200 businesses told to close. Taxes, more specifically, past due state sales tax is at the center of the issue. Read the Providence Journal article for more information. We thought we'd include an article from the CNBC website. It ranks Rhode Island 48th, almost dead last in terms of being business friendly.

Liberty Elm Counter,
© 2009 DinerHistory.com

Today, about noon we visited the diner. Upon our arrival, there was a sign at the front steps of the diner. It advised us of taping for the Food Network's show, "Diner's, Drive-Ins & Dives." Judy, the diner's baker, pictured at left told us they were also there this past Tuesday.

For this scene, the crew setup at the end of the counter. Kip, an owner of the diner, took the order from two customers: chowder and turkey sandwiches. We weren't sure what they ordered for a beverage -- maybe coffee milk, the official state drink. Shortly thereafter things moved to the kitchen for shots of Kip preparing their sandwiches. With the sandwiches assembled and plated, the crew shifted back to the end of the counter.

It was time to bring the cups of chowder out. While the crew talked with the customers about the chowder, Kip was at the diner's pass through window. We glanced over at the sandwiches as she awaited the cue to deliver them. First thing we noticed was it looked like watercress underneath the thick sliced toasted Tuscan bread. In the middle was hand carved turkey from the whole bird they roasted at the diner. As an aside, during one of our past visits, Kip told us she picks up the bread from a bakery in Cranston, RI, a short drive from the diner. The Liberty Elm places an emphasis on locally and regionally sourced ingredients. About the watercress? She corrected us, those were pea greens from a local farmer.

While we were there we talked with Kip, and she said the state has accepted partial payment, allowing them to remain open. There is a payment schedule setup, so the diner needs your continued support. Several things are in the works, so it's best to contact them directly.

Mid August marks the second anniversary for the diner under the ownership of Kip and Tink. The diner itself was built in 1947 by the Worcester Lunch Car Company, of Worcester, MA. Though the original diner tag is one of the original items missing, it would display serial #806.

The Food Network segment is expected to air near the end of the year. Stay tuned for details.


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Liberty Elm Diner
777 Elmwood Ave.
Providence, RI
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In the News - Liberty Elm Diner

Liberty Elm Diner,© 2008 DinerHistory.com
file photo

The "TV Diner" program as seen on the NECN cable network, has posted a review about the Liberty Elm Diner. Watch the video here.








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Liberty Elm Diner
777 Elmwood Ave.
Providence, RI
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Star Diner - Rumford, RI

Star Diner, ©2008 DinerHistory.com file
photo

Our last post about the Star Diner was on January 20, 2008. At that time we spoke with the owners and they had expected to be open in February. In the subsequent months, whenever we were in the area, we'd stop by only to find the diner still closed. Today on the way to the Liberty Elm Diner we stopped to check on the diner. We noticed the sign that was in front of the diner was gone. Though a car was parked in front and we saw people inside. During a quick chat with the owners, they are now hoping to be open by Mid-November. Quentin Sanford spoke of the things needed to comply with various regulations. He said there is another inspection this coming week.

News about the diner reopening might have been enough. We also learned that the diner will have its screen time. A crew from the Showtime series "The Brotherhood" will be there filming next week. We were told the crew will be shooting both exterior and interior scenes of the diner. Whenever filming is done in a vintage diner, it may present some unique challenges. In back of the diner is a trailer park where additional scenes are to be shot. While it may be for the small screen, it's a good opportunity for this Rhode Island diner to have its time in the spot lights.

After hearing this news, it caused us to check our database. We found another 1950's DeRaffele diner also having it's screen time. When we visited White's Diner mid-November 2007, we were told of their recent film credits. The film Righteous Kill, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino includes scenes shot at the diner two months prior.


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Liberty Elm Diner
777 Elmwood Ave.
Providence, RI
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Star Diner
140 Newport Ave.
Rumford, RI
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White's Diner
280 Boston Ave.
Bridgeport,CT
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Weekend Roundup

Liberty Elm
Sign

As we mentioned in our Thursday's post, the Liberty Elm Diner was visited by the Projo's food editor. We stopped in today for a late breakfast. While we catch up with Kip, Tink and the gang, check out the rest of our post.

The Weekend Roundup feature draws from some of the postings we made during this past week. It's purpose is a quick summary and one area of the blog where we usually don't include map links or pictures. At times we may include other items here not making the blog that may be of interest to our readers. We'd like to hear your comments or suggestions.

Three diners were added to the database. Olga's diner remains closed. It was announced that the new location of the Red Arrow Diner in Milford, New Hampshire will open this coming Monday. There were no news reports of any classic diners being demolished, constructed, installed, moved, or sold. Please let us know if we've missed something diner related happening this past week.

The following diners were added to the database:

American Dream Diner*
Orangeburg, NY
-source

Blauvelt Coach Diner
Blauvelt, NY

Golden Star Diner Restaurant
Neptune City, NJ

While we were at the diner, they were working on getting their new sign mounted to the pole out front. The picture above shows the sign as it sat up against the diner.

(*) This diner was added provisionally pending further investigation. If you have any information on them please write us.


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In the News - Liberty Elm Diner

Liberty Elm Diner,
© 2008 DinerHistory.com file photo

Liberty Elm Diner is in the news again. In today's Providence Journal, Food Editor Gail Ciampa writes about her visit to the diner. Earlier this month, Linda Borg of the Providence Journal wrote of her diner experience here. We mentioned that article in our 10/8/2008 blog post. Ms. Borg's article provides an insight into the diner's past and the mission of the people that own and operate it.

Stop in at the diner and be sure to tell them we sent you.


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Liberty Elm Diner
777 Elmwood Ave.
Providence, RI
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We invite you to visit our flickr diner photostream.

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In the News - Liberty Elm Diner

Liberty Elm Diner

The Liberty Elm is a diner we visit often. It was nice to see Linda Borg of the Providence Journal recently wrote an article about the diner. Her article provides an insight into the diner's past and the mission of the people that own and operate it. Be sure to check out the diner's myspace page.



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Liberty Elm Diner
777 Elmwood Ave.
Providence, RI
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Live blogging from the Liberty Elm Diner

edited 10:30PM

Liberty Elm Diner

We received word that something is in the works to mark the diner's first year anniversary. We stopped in at the Liberty Elm Diner about 2PM and asked them to share some of what they have planned.

On August 18th, the Liberty Elm will celebrate its first anniversary. Since the diner is closed on Mondays, there will be a musical variety show on August 17th.The driving force behind this event is the Liberty Elm Employees Fellowship, LLC. LEEF is made up of both employees and individuals. We'll post more details as we get them.

From the reasonably priced healthy food incorporating local or regional ingredients, to the live music, and wireless Internet access, you'll see this isn't your typical diner. On Sunday's the diner has a live music series entitled the Americana Breakfast Club. We arrived a little late for Ace Brown & the Ohio Valley Boys, but we heard the place was swingin'. Check out the diner's myspace page for information on the musical events.

This 1947 Worcester Lunch Car Company diner would have had a diner tag above the door bearing the serial #806. We'll talk about what it took to get this diner reopened in another article. Both Kip and the diner recently appeared in a segment for the Chronicle, Boston's ABC affiliate, WCVB TV Channel 5 nightly news program. Click to watch the video.

Hours: Monday - closed; Tuesday - Friday 6AM - 3PM; and Saturday and Sunday 8AM - 3PM.

Liberty Elm Diner
777 Elmwood Ave.
Providence, RI
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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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Liberty Elm Diner

Liberty Elm Diner,
2008 DinerHistory.com file photo

Status: Open

Builder: Worcester Lunch Car Company
Year: 1947
Model:
Serial #806
Stools: 14
Booths: 2
Length: 40'
Width: 10'6"


Opened: 8/2007
Owners: Carol DeFeciani and Diane Horstmyer

Website: www.libertyelmdiner.com
Location: 777 Elmwood Ave., Providence, RI
Map: View Map / Send to GPS*
Phone: (401) 467-0777
Hours: 7AM - 3PM daily



Additional seating available.


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Blog entries we've written about the diner.


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