Nothing Finer Than Diners
by Don Rittner

Do you remember eating at Gus's Diner (Bridge Diner) at Congress and River,
or the 5th Avenue Diner in the Burg, Miss Troy on East Side, the Palace and
Sycaway Diners on Hoosick?

I love eating at diners -- those stainless steel boxes in art deco style
(read that speckled formica, linoleum, and neon) -- the type that hold about
50 people max, and have a juke box at every table!

The old diner is a stand alone structure. One story tall and usually longer
than wider, they often look like an abandoned railroad car or trolley (which
some are), that serve home cooked food (and breakfast) 24 hours a day,
cheap, and have counter service. A wise cracking waitress is optional. They
were built offsite in a factory and delivered to the new owner ready to
serve.

Diners dotted the American landscape from the late 19th century and peaked
in the 1950's-60's. While they originated in the cities, they also located
along roadsides.

Credit for the diner concept is given to Walter Scott of Providence, Rhode
Island. In 1872, he began offering prepared food from a converted horse
drawn freight wagon. His night time lunch wagon served mill workers who
could not find anything open.

In Worcester, Mass., Sam Jones noticed that folks had to stand around the
lunch carts to eat. So, he opened a different kind of night lunch wagon in
1884. His wagon was large enough for a lunch counter with stools. His
customers could come inside and SIT to eat. Counters and stools became diner
standards thanks to him.

Another Worcester fellow, Thomas H. Buckley, realized that there was more
money in building and selling wagons and started the first diner
manufacturing company. By 1892, the New England Lunch Wagon Company had
built and sold over 75 wagons. Buckley erected diners in over 275 towns
across the country expanding the market from the Industrial Northeast where
it began.

Eventually diner owners realized that by parking their wagons on permanent
spots they could cut down on costs (no horses to feed), and could stay open
longer - hence the birth of the diner as we know it today.

During the 1920's-30's, diner manufacturers designed them to look like the
sleek cool trains of the time. Railroad food was considered a Four Star
meal. In fact, they are called Diners because it is a short version for
Dining Car.

Since diners were mostly male oriented, due to the nature of the workforce,
the owners had to rethink their strategy during the 1920's when more women
entered the workplace. So landscaping, window boxes, and ornate frosted
glass appeared to attract the women customers.

However, women didn't want to sit on stools or at the counter (reminded them
of bars), so diner owners installed tables down the length of the counter
and promoted their "booth service." Booths became a diner standard along
with the counter and stool.

Each diner was different but folks knew you could stop and get a good meal
and conversation. Afterall, the stool next to you was only a few inches
away from a stranger, and the booths not much further. You were almost
forced to be civil. Afterall, if you were eating neck to neck you might as
well have a chat.

The diner experience became niche with the introduction of the White Castle
restaurants in 1921. White Castle was the first hamburger chain in America
(sorry McDonalds) and perhaps the first real fast food franchise. Their
little square hamburgers (called slyders) smothered in onions were a huge
hit. Their distinctive "castle" design was memorable and the
hamburger copied.

In our area we had 'White Towers.' These white, enameled-steel, Art Deco
buildings maybe fit 25 people at tops. They were located in Troy (Congress
and Third), Menands (across from Monkey Wards), Albany (across from the
Palace; Central Avenue, now the QE2, and being restored), and Schenectady on
State Street which is still standing. You could get their little hamburgers
for two for a quarter with a nickel coffee.

There were more than 75 diner builders in the 125 years since Walter Scott
pushed his first food cart. Most of them were located in the Northeast,
where it began. Today, there are only about half a dozen manufacturers left.

According to Diner City (www.dinercity.com), the cream of the crop were
Jerry O'Mahony, Inc, (Elizabeth, NJ, 1913-1956), Worcester Lunch Car
Company, (Worcester, MA, 1906-1961), Silk City Diners (Paterson Vehicle
Company, Paterson, NJ, 1927-1964), Mountain View Diners, (Singac, NJ,
1939-1957), Fodero Dining Car Company, (Bloomfield, NJ, 1933-1981),
Valentine Manufacturing Company, (Wichita, KS, 1938-1974), and Sterling
Diners (J.B. Judkins Company, Merrimac, MA, 1936-1942).

Still in existence are Paramount Diners (Oakland, NJ; started in 1932),
DeRaffele Manufacturing Company (New Rochelle, NY; started in 1933), and
Kullman Industries, Inc. (Avenel, NJ; started in 1927).

Unfortunately, we have lost our historic diners in Troy. The Miss Troy
Diner, off Pawling Avenue, a J.G. Brill Company built diner (1927-32), was
the last to close recently. Gus' or the Bridge Diner was demolished and is
parking for Russell Sage. The Palace was replaced for the Collar City
Bridge. The Fifth Avenue Diner is a lot. The Sycaway is now a cleaners.

There are 37 old diners left in New York State. Fifteen are in the Capital
District, according to 26 year old SUNYA student and diner historian Mike
Engle from Speigletown. According to Mike, "Diners play a pivotal role in
what America was like. They're a place for the community to come together
(Dan's Place II is a perfect example). They're a dependable place to stop
when you're traveling (Gibby's in Duanesburg) They're a place for truckers
(Inga's and Dewey's on Fuller Rd). And they're Art. AS much as some people
like to see nice Brownstones, or stately city halls, they want to see a
nicely preserved Diner."

Mike has been keeping count, along with finding the manufacturers of each
diner he finds (they are often stamped on a metal plate someone in the
diner). You can visit Mike's Web page
(http://bbs.cowland.com/itdon/diners.html) and get a run down on the diners
he has eaten at and reviewed, as well as the makers of the existing diners
in our area. You can subscribe to Roadside magazine or visit their Web site
at www.roadsidemagazine.com to learn more about existing diners around the
country.

Diners may be having a comeback. Two silver diners were delivered recently,
one in Guilderland (a DeRaffele) and the other in Latham Circle (a Kullman).
Both seem to be doing a booming business.

Perhaps folks are tired of the hassle that goes on when you order at the
'drive-thru-mundane-everything-tastes-the-same-fast-food-junk' stop, and
delivered by a teenager who barely strings a sentence together. Maybe folks
want some good old fashioned home cooking - and a bit of conversation.

Now that I've worked up an appetite, I'm headed over to the Miss Albany. See
you there.