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| photo by Jim Brueckner |
By Marilyn Turk
Have you ever been to a diner?
These nostalgic restaurants were
popular from the 1920’s to the 1950’s, but today’s fast food restaurants
replaced them. Some of you may remember the diners in TV shows like “Happy
Days” and “Alice.” Norman Rockwell’s 1958 painting, The Runaway, shows a young boy
and a protective highway patrolman at the counter of an anonymous diner.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, a
diner is “a restaurant in the shape of a railroad car,” and was nicknamed from
the term “dining car.”
In 1858, Walter
Scott of Providence, Rhode Island, began selling sandwiches and coffee to night
workers. His business grew so well that in 1872, he quit his day job and
started selling food from a horse-drawn covered express wagon, credited as
being the first diner. Soon, others copied his idea and set up wagons that served
workers and pedestrians at night, since most restaurants were closed by 8:00
p.m.
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| Photo courtesy Flickr by Liz West |
When the
wagon vendors joined the lunchtime business, their inexpensive, fast meals
gained popularity, and the wagons began to crowd the streets. Towns and cities
passed ordinances to restrict their hours of operation. This prompted some
owners to park their wagons in semi-permanent location to circumvent the law.
As
horse-drawn street cars were replaced by new electric ones, wagon vendors
bought the old cars and converted them into diners. During this time, diners
gained the reputation of “greasy spoons,” and many were open 24 hours a day.
After women
gained the right to vote in 1920, diner owners began to clean up their image to
attract the women’s business. They spruced up their businesses with a fresh
paint, added flowers and shrubs outside, and booth service inside.
Diner menus typically featured
American classic fare like hamburgers, French fries, and sandwiches. In
addition, many served hand-blended milkshakes and desserts like pies, displayed
in glass cases.
Prefabricated
diners entered the scene in the 1920’s with innovations such as indoor
bathrooms, tables, and longer dimensions. The 1930’s saw more streamline
versions, made to symbolize speed and mobility.
Diners
maintained their popularity during the Depression because they offered
inexpensive places to eat. After World War II, the demands for diners
increased. Servicemen eligible for G.I. loans saw diners as an easy way to make
an income. In 1948, a dozen diner manufacturers competed for business. New
materials such as Formica, Naugahyde and terrazzo floors made their entrance
into diner design. All stainless steel exteriors and large windows were added
to attract motorists as populations became more mobile.
The
introduction of new fast food restaurants caused diners to lose popularity
during the 1960’s until a revival began in the late 1970’s.
Interest in
the American diner continues today. People intent on preserving the diner
atmosphere where people from all walks of life gathered for inexpensive meals
prompted a number of vintage diners to be rescued from demolition and relocated
to new sites. The Massachusetts Historical Commission has placed all vintage
functioning diners on the National Register of Historic Places.
Did you have
a favorite diner? What did it look like? What was your favorite food there?
