Daryl Hall & John Oates’ Abandoned Luncheonette by  LP record cover released by Atlantic Records in 1973

It is the year 2013 and with it comes the 40th anniversary of the release of Daryl Hall and John Oates’ second album for Atlantic Records, Abandoned Luncheonette. When I posted the piece on the Abandoned Luncheonette I co-wrote with Matt Simmons back in August of 2010, (see… http://dinerhotline.wordpress.com/2010/08/14/the-story-of-the-the-abandoned-luncheonette-aka-the-rosedale-diner/)   in my mind it was the most personally satisfying as well as the ultimate tribute to a vinyl long playing record album (and cover) that had interested and intrigued me for decades and more than likely my favorite post I have ever done.

It also got the story of the diner and its owner (the Rosedale Diner and Bill Faulk) out there so everyone could see. The part of the story which was only touched upon was how Daryl Hall and John Oates knew about the old diner and how it came about being used in the photo shoot for the album cover. But as of this week that part of the story has now been written by my new friend, Michael Morsch. An experienced journalist, Mike Morsch has been executive editor of Montgomery Newspapers since 2003. His award-winning humor column “Outta Leftfield” has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, the Suburban Newspapers of America and the Philadelphia Press Association. So, without further ado here is Mikes piece on Hall & Oates and their take on the Abandoned Luncheonette!

Celebrating Hall & Oates’ DINER DAYS

Published: Wednesday, February 13, 2013
By Mike Morsch
Executive Editor

There was a time in the mid to late-1970s when fans and curiosity seekers would search out a dilapidated diner that sat in a wooded area just off Route 724 in Kenilworth. Souvenir hunters eventually picked apart the already long-ignored structure, which at one time had been the Rosedale Diner in Pottstown.

Daryl Hall still has some pieces of the old diner. “Fans came from all over the world. And unfortunately for the guy who owned it, they basically destroyed it, they ripped it apart tile by tile, piece by piece,” said Hall. “Somebody gave me some tiles from it over the years. I’ve gotten little pieces of it from fans. That’s really an unusual story.”

Indeed it is. But over the past 40 years, it’s remained an iconic story not only for the locals but for anyone who’s a fan of Daryl Hall and John Oates, the most successful duo in the history of rock ’n’ roll. That’s because the old Rosedale Diner, after it stopped being the Rosedale Diner on High Street in Pottstown and was moved outside of town and essentially left to die in East Coventry Township, became the “Abandoned Luncheonette” and a picture of it served as the cover art on Hall & Oates’ second album.

That album, also titled “Abandoned Luncheonette,” essentially put the local musicians — Hall from Pottstown and a graduate of Owen J. Roberts High School and Oates from North Wales and a graduate of North Penn High School — on the road to superstardom. It’s been 40 years since the now-iconic album’s release in 1973, and both Hall and Oates remain proud of the record. Oates goes as far as to say it’s his favorite Hall & Oates album ever.

“There’s something about it that’s very, very special,” said Oates in a recent interview from his home in Nashville. “You can’t plan something like that; it just happens. The very fact is that I’m playing the songs to this day and they sound just as good as the day we wrote them.” Both artists recall the significant role the diner played in the marketing of the album. Hall — born Daryl Hohl in Pottstown – remembers his parents taking him to the Rosedale Diner as a young boy when it was located on High Street. The diner’s owner was Talmadge W. “Bill” Faulk.

When Faulk closed the diner in the mid-1960s, he had the structure moved a few miles outside of Pottstown to some land he owned along Route 724. And its new resting place was right near where Daryl Hall’s grandmother lived. For Hall & Oates’ second album, Hall had written a song he called “Abandoned Luncheonette.” “If you look at the lyrics of that song, even as a kid I knew that only the strong survive,” said Hall in a recent interview from his home in New York. “I’ve used that theme — the strong give up and move on and the weak give up and stay — to say that the idea is that you have to make something of your life. You have to go for it. And I guess life has proven me right about that — at least in my case.”

Hall said the song is written about people who give up and people who do something with their lives. “It could have been called ‘Abandoned Lives.’ It was about people who gave up and wound up in the same place they started in, only not even as good.” He said that when it came time to name the album, he and Oates decided to call it “Abandoned Luncheonette.” And when they considered what the album cover would look like, Hall recalled the abandoned diner near his grandmother’s house outside of Pottstown. “So I said, ‘This place is all falling down. Let’s take a photographer up there and take a picture.’ So that’s what we did,” said Hall. “The cops came and threw us out because we were trespassing on somebody’s property. But we did manage to get the pictures and that’s where the concept of the cover came from. It didn’t really come from the song itself; it was just coincidental.”

In a news story that appeared in the Pottstown Mercury on Jan. 27, 1983, Faulk recalled the day in the summer of 1973 when “the two record kids” came to him and asked permission to take a photograph of the diner for the cover of their new album. “I knew the one boy, he was nice . . . poor like me,” Faulk said in the 1983 story, referring to Hall. “I said they could take a picture of it, but not go inside. It’s dangerous in there. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. They went inside anyway.” Forty years later, Oates confirms that account of the story. “We basically broke into the diner and took the picture that appears on the back of the album,” said Oates.

Oates added that the photographer, credited as “B. Wilson” on the inside sleeve of the album, was Barbara Wilson, his girlfriend at the time. She was a student then at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. A teacher of hers at the school worked with the album cover picture and gave it that “hand colored” look, according to Oates. “I look back and it’s one of the great album covers,” said Hall. “It was one of those things that just worked. It speaks as a piece of art, really. I kind of wish album covers were still around.”

Bill Faulk is also credited on the inside cover sleeve: “Luncheonette courtesy of The Man on Route 724.” The diner became a Pottstown attraction. But as Hall and Oates continued to rise to fame, fans from all over flocked to the diner to pick off pieces of it as souvenirs. It went from being merely dilapidated to being completely destroyed.

The 1983 Mercury story mentioned that representatives from the management company for Hall & Oates at the time had been in talks with Faulk to buy the diner. “I’d love to sell it,” said Faulk in the 1983 story. “It’s been destroyed by their fans over the years. They might as well buy it.” But the deal never went down, likely because the diner was in such bad condition by 1983.

“I was real glad to see the boys make it,” said Faulk at the time. “They sent me an autographed copy of the album and a T-shirt. From then on, everyone wanted a piece of it [the diner]. I was always chasing people away from it.” Hall said he doesn’t remember specifics on whether he and Oates wanted to buy the diner or what their level of interest in it was at the time. “I may have said that; I may have thought that [buying the diner],” said Hall. “But my relationship with the guy that owned the place was not the greatest. He sort of blamed me and John for destroying his property.”

Bill Faulk died in 2007 and the famous diner — which sat adjacent to the entrance of Towpath Park in East Coventry Township — was eventually demolished in the early 1980s in a controlled burn by Ridge Fire Company.

Another bit of rock ’n’ roll history — which diehard Hall & Oates fans will likely know — related to the “Abandoned Luncheonette” album involves the Oates-penned song “Las Vegas Turnaround.” According to Oates, he had met a flight attendant — they were called “stewardesses” back then — and a girlfriend on the street in New York sometime in the early 1970s and struck up a conversation with the two of them. The flight attendant’s name was Sara, and during their discussion, Sara mentioned that she and her friend were getting ready to do a “Las Vegas turnaround.” “I didn’t know what they were talking about,” said Oates. “They told me, ‘Oh, that’s where we take a group of gamblers out to Las Vegas and then we just turn around and come back.’ That’s the type of thing a songwriter hears and turns into a song.”

Oates would eventually introduce Sara Allen to Hall, the two of them would start a relationship that lasted more than 30 years and she would become the inspiration for the song “Sara Smile,” the duo’s first Top 10 hit reaching all the way to No. 4 in 1976. Unlike Oates, Hall won’t come right out and call “Abandoned Luncheonette” his favorite Hall & Oates album. But . . .  “It was one of my favorite experiences, I’ll say that,” said Hall. “I guess I would equate that with a favorite album.”

The link to the original article is here….
http://montgomerynews.com/articles/2013/02/13/entertainment/doc511a77017c794300082354.txt?viewmode=fullstory

I am happy to say that Mike Morsch told me that the post that Matt Simmons and I wrote in 2010 was a huge help in him locating period stories in the archives of the local newspapers that aided him in his research for this story and the companion piece he wrote for American Songwriter Magazine below.  LAC

Hall & Oates: 40 Years of Abandoned Luncheonette

Written by Mike Morsch February 14th, 2013

Daryl Hall and John Oates had a choice to make. They had released their debut album, Whole Oats, for Atlantic Records to little acclaim in November 1972.

A few months later, in early 1973, famed Philadelphia producer Kenny Gamble approached the duo and wanted them to work at Philadelphia International Records as songwriters and recording artists.

Philadelphia was a happening place in those days. It was the early stages of the creation of what is now known as “Philly soul” – sometimes called “the Philadelphia sound” – soul music that included funk influences and arrangements heavy on strings and horns.

Hall and Oates could stay in Philly and work for Gamble and Leon Huff at Philly International, or they could move to New York and make their second album for Atlantic Records.

“The idea was that we had all these obvious Philly influences, it was our baby food, it’s what we are,” said Hall. “John had a real grounding in the alternative Philly sound, which was very folksy. We wanted to combine two elements – my gospel R&B experiences and John’s folk experiences – and make a hybrid record that was sort of indicative of the sound of Philadelphia.”

And that’s what Abandoned Luncheonette was all about.

It’s been 40 years since the release of that album, and both Hall and Oates are as proud of it now as they were then. Oates doesn’t hesitate to call it his favorite Hall & Oates album.

“It’s a special album. It was a perfect storm of creativity for us,” said Oates in a recent interview from his home in Nashville. “It was the right producer (Arif Mardin) in the right studio with the right musicians and the right songs all at the same time. That seldom happens, but you hope it does. Fortunately for us it happened on our second album.”

The benefit of hindsight over the past 40 years has done little to change the belief of either artist that the primary reasons Abandoned Luncheonette has stood the test of time is that the songwriting was just that good and the musicians were just that talented.

“It was very much a Daryl and John album,” said Hall in a recent interview from New York marking the 40th anniversary of the release of the album. “We were really clicking as a creative team in those days. There are a lot of great John Oates moments on that album that still really impress me.

“But things sort of evolved after that. I took on more and the balance shifted of what our functions were within Hall & Oates. But in those days, we were just kids and we were just trying.”

Oates said that now, the songs sound innocent and simple.

“But the bottom line is they still sound good,” he said. “And that’s all that really matters. Whether it sounds like another person wrote them – which to me they kind of do – that really doesn’t matter. What matters is that I can still play them and people still like them and they still sound good.

“And that’s the mark of a song to stand the test of time. It’s the ultimate goal for a songwriter. It’s what you hope for, the benchmark you go for every time you write a song. You don’t always attain it, but that’s your goal.”

Hall said that side one of Abandoned Luncheonette is the “magic” side. It includes one Hall-penned tune, “When the Morning Comes”; three by Oates, “Had I Known You Better Then,” “Las Vegas Turnaround” and “I’m Just a Kid (Don’t Make Me Feel Like a Man)”; and the co-written hit, “She’s Gone,” which was only moderately successful when it was first released as a single in 1974 but climbed to No. 7 on the charts when a remixed version was re-released in 1976 after the duo had moved to RCA Records and scored big with the hit single “Sara Smile.”

“On side one, there’s not a note on that body of work that isn’t just right,” said Hall, citing the environment in the Atlantic Records studio in which Abandoned Luncheonette was recorded.

“Aretha Franklin was walking in and out. Bob Dylan was walking in and out. Dr. John was nodding in and out. All the studio musicians were in the room regularly, and that’s the environment we cut this music in.”

Side two of the album has a different vibe, though, according to Hall. It features the influence of Chris Bond, a guitarist for Hall & Oates who wanted to be a producer. As the project progressed, Bond got more and more involved.

“Whenever you hear something that sounds Beatles-esque – when it’s obvious Beatles-esque  – you can trace that back to Chris Bond,” said Hall, who added that Bond is “an outrageously talented guitar player.”

“I have become a Beatles fan over the years, but back in 1972-73, I was not a gigantic Beatles fan. So to have that stuff as part of our arrangement was not really consistent with the character of what I wanted to do,” said Hall.

“In those days, he (Bond) was obsessed with the Beatles and I was not. So side two, if I could change anything, I’d just get rid of all that crap and let the songs be the songs.”

Side two of the album features the title track, “Abandoned Luncheonette,” written by Hall, the theme of which he said is that only the strong survive.

“It’s a song that could have been called ‘Abandoned Lives.’ It’s about people who gave up and wound up in the same place they started in, only not as good,” said Hall.

When it came time to come up with a name for the album, Hall suggested it be called Abandoned Luncheonette. He remembered that there was an abandoned diner that was near his grandmother’s house outside of Pottstown, PA. When Hall was a child, the eatery was called the Rosedale Diner and was located inside the Pottstown city limits. After closing in the mid-1960s to make room for a McDonald’s on the same site, the owner had the diner towed to the outskirts of town, where it sat unused for several years by the early 1970s.

“So I said, ‘This place is all falling down. Let’s take a photographer up there and take a picture.’ So that’s what we did,” said Hall. “The cops came and threw us out because we were trespassing on somebody’s property. But we did manage to get the pictures that we wanted, and that’s where the whole idea and the concept of the album cover came from. It really didn’t come from the song, it was just coincidental.”

One of those pictures did indeed become the album cover – the picture of the dilapidated diner – and another photo, of Hall & Oates sitting inside the diner, graces the back cover of the album. The photographer, by the way, was Oates’ girlfriend at the time, Barbara Wilson, who is credited as “B. Wilson” on the inside album sleeve. She was a student at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia at the time.

Unlike Oates, Hall won’t go as far as to say that Abandoned Luncheonette is his favorite Hall & Oates album.

“You can never look into the future, but I was proud of it at the time,” said Hall. “Would I have known that we’d be talking about it 40 years later? No, but I had the feeling it was going to be around for a while.

“But it was one of my favorite experiences, I’ll say that,” he said. “I guess I would equate that with a favorite album.”

The link to this original article is here… http://www.americansongwriter.com/2013/02/hall-oates

Here is Mike Morsch’s blog post on how he came about writing the Abandoned Luncheonette piece…….

OUTTA LEFTFIELD: Getting Hall & Oates on the record about iconic album

People often ask me where story ideas and column topics come from and the simple answer is that sometimes they just happen when you least expect it.
Such was the case recently involving an old vinyl record. You can read about the 40th anniversary of the release of what’s become an iconic album, back when vinyl records was how we listened to our music, (see above).

In 1973, Daryl Hall and John Oates released their second studio album, “Abandoned Luncheonette.” Although it had only moderate success early on, Hall & Oates would eventually go on to superstardom and “Abandoned Luncheonette” is generally now considered one of their earliest masterpieces.
The historical rock and roll significance of the album is enhanced for those of us who live in this area because of the photo on the front of the album, which features an old, dilapidated diner that used to be known as the Rosedale Diner that sat at the corner of High and Rosedale Streets in Pottstown. That Hall and Oates are local guys — Oates was raised in North Wales and graduated from North Penn High School and Hall lived just outside of Pottstown and graduated from Owen J. Roberts High School — is a well-known fact to many in this area. And that is the backdrop to this story.

As a kid growing up in central Illinois, my folks had a record collection that consisted of a lot of popular music from the late 1950s and early to mid-1960s. I used to wear out albums by Elvis, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Association and many more. By the time the 1970s rolled around and I got to high school, I was more into eight-track tapes, cassettes, big bushy sideburns and bell-bottomed pants. (Seventies suave indeed.) I never had my own record collection.

It’s more than 35 years later now and I recently decided to change that. For Christmas last year, The Blonde Accountant got me a turntable because I wanted to start a record collection. My original premise was that I wanted to hear the early work of some of my favorite artists and my thinking was that listening to it on vinyl would offer me the purest form of the music. It has become a process for me. I spend some time researching a band and its music, choose an album I think I’d like to have in my collection, and then go to the record store in search of the album. Fortunately, there are still a few record stores around, and there’s a certain nostalgic charm to going into one and searching through the albums.

A few weeks ago I was on the trail of “Abandoned Luncheonette.” I suspect that since I didn’t grow up here on the East Coast, I was unaware of the early Hall & Oates stuff because it didn’t have wide penetration back then in the Midwest. So I had never really heard the entire album as a single body of work. Anyone who’s a treasure hunter of sorts — be it at an antique store, garage sale or baseball card show — knows the feeling of actually finding that one thing you’ve been searching for, and that’s what happened to me with “Abandoned Luncheonette.” It was sitting in plain sight in one of the bins, and I spotted it literally as I walked in the door of the Vinyl Closet, a delightful little record shop on Main Street in North Wales owned by Jason McFarland (www.thevinylcloset.com).

I got the album for $1 and it’s in fabulous shape. Naturally, I rushed home to play it on my new turntable and it’s absolutely wonderful. I was listening to the early stages of what we now know as “Philly soul” or the “sound of Philadelphia” and it was and is a really cool vibe. As I was examining the cover art, I flipped the record over and was reading the information on the back. There, at the bottom in small print were the words, “1973 Atlantic Recording Corporation.”

Hey, I thought to myself, this year is the 40th anniversary of the release of that album. I wonder if Daryl and John would want talk about it? And that’s how a story idea is born. All I needed to do was execute. Fortunately, I have interviewed both Hall and Oates several times over the years. I have a good relationship with their manager, Jonathan Wolfson, and he has without fail always honored my interview requests and hooked me up with both artists. Hall & Oates themselves have also both been gracious with their time and their willingness to answer my questions numerous times.

I emailed Wolfson and he responded the same day saying he thought that a story on the anniversary of “Abandoned Luncheonette” was “a great idea” and that he would make Daryl and John available for interviews. Within a week I had both artists on the phone in separate interviews. John apparently is getting used to talking to me, I guess, because he started the latest conversation with, “Hi Mike, here we go again, huh?” He added that he was unaware that it was the 40th anniversary of the album until the interview request had been made.

Both Daryl and John shared their recollections about making “Abandoned Luncheonette” and the story of how they got the now-famous photographs that grace the front and back covers of the album from a forgotten diner that once rested on the outskirts of Pottstown just off Route 724. You can read all about that in this week’s Ticket section.

It all started because I found an album at a local record store for a dollar, took it home and listened to it and discovered the early sounds of Philly soul. Everything old was new again.

Man, I love it when a plan comes full circle.

Here is the link to his blog…… http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2013/02/12/columns/doc511abf65ee27f503963802.txt?viewmode=default

I want to personally thank Mike Morsch for finally getting this story written. We both agree that between the August, 2010 Diner Hotline post and his pieces that the whole story about this iconic album has come full circle!

Mike Morsch is a freelance writer from suburban Philadelphia and the author of “Dancing in My Underwear: The Soundtrack of My Life.” see…. http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-My-Underwear-Soundtrack-Life/dp/1622490053

Close-up of the fantastic sign for The Dining Car in Philadelphia,
July 1, 1985 photo by Larry Cultrera

Growing up in the Boston area, I recall all the various diners we had around thru the 1950′s and 1960′s. Most were built by the local Worcester Lunch Car Company (Worcester, Mass.) as well as more than a few Sterling Diners that were built in nearby Merrimac, Mass. by the J.B. Judkins Company. We also had a handful of  Fodero’s, Mountain Views and O’Mahony’s from New Jersey. There were quite a few Brill diners built in Springfield, Mass. for the J.G. Brill Company based in Philadelphia, PA as well as a couple of Valentine diners out of Witchita, KS.  I personally was also familiar with Swingle diners (another New Jersey company, 1957-1988) having grown up with two of their diners here, Carroll’s Colonial Dining Car of my hometown of Medford (1961) and the Victoria Diner of Boston (1965). These two diners were the most modern diners in the Greater Boston area.

After starting my documentation of existing diners in the early 1980′s, I made the acquaintance of Richard Gutman, a native of Allentown, PA who had relocated to the Boston area in the early 1970′s after graduating from Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning. Dick had authored the first real history book on this truly unique type of restaurant known as a diner. The book was titled Amercian Diner (this later was updated to a more comprehensive volume entitled Amercian Diner Then & Now).  From reading his book, I learned that the evolution of diners was an on-going process. Basically from the horse-drawn lunch wagons of the late 1800′s to early 1900′s, to the barrel-roofed and monitor-roofed railroad car inspired designs of the 1920′s, 1930′s and early 1940′s as well as the modern stainless steel streamlined diners of the late 1940′s thru the 1950′s. But from the early 1960′s into the early 1980′s the diner manufacturers had drifted away from the traditional “railroad car” styled diners to the larger multi-section diner-restaurants with their more updated Colonial and Mediterranean influenced designs.

View of the left side front elevation of The Dining Car,
July 1, 1985 photo by Larry Cultrera

I would guess it was from Richard Gutman, that I had heard (not too long after I met him) of a new diner being built by Swingle Diners… the first ever retro-styled diner called The Dining Car of Philadelphia, PA. So in my travels on the diner trail, I planned on someday checking this new old-style diner out. I had heard that Swingle in collaboration with the Morozin family (owners of The Dining Car) had loosely based the design of the new Dining Car on the old Monarch model that the Jerry O’Mahony Dining Car Company had built back in the mid-to-late 1930′s. It featured a metal-sheathed monitor roof, not used since the 1950′s as well as a black enameled body (with the name of the diner lettered on) under the windows. It also included stainless steel trim on the corners of the building as well as the window sills. So it was in the middle of  a diner road-trip, July 17, 1984 to be precise that myself and Steve Repucci visited the Swingle Diner factory in Middlesex, NJ. We were given a tour of the plant by Eric Swingle, a nephew of owner Joe Swingle. We met Joe along with his chief designer Joe Montano. I asked Joe Montano about The Dining Car and he actually pulled out the blue prints to show us what it looked like! It wasn’t until July 1, 1985 that we actually set foot in the diner on a subsequent road-trip. We had lunch as I recall and I took quite a few exterior shots of this huge diner (which can be seen here). I found myself at The Dining Car one other time since then…. June 19, 1993 during the Delaware Valley Diner Tour which was part of the Diner Experience, a symposium conducted by the Society for Commercial Archeology. But going through my slide archive, it seems I did not photograph it that time.

View of the full front elevation of The Dining Car,
July 1, 1985 photo by Larry Cultrera

To help with some background for this post, I recently spoke with Nancy Morozin, a friend of mine from Facebook who is the current general manager of the diner started by her dad, Joe Morozin Sr. Nancy runs the business along with her brother Joe Jr. and sister Judy. Joe Jr. oversees all back-of-the-house functions while Judy is responsible for the training of all front-of-the-house personnel. The Dining Car story goes back to Joe Sr’s. early days, basically from a teenager on – running various eateries with names such as the GI Inn, and another called the White Way among others. Jump to the year 1961 when Joe was ready for something new and larger, this is when he bought a brand-new Swingle Diner. Nancy describes it as an “L-Shaped” Colonial-styled diner with large windows and hammered copper hood. From the sounds of it, this would have made it a contemporary of Carroll’s Diner in Medford (the one I grew up with). This diner was known as the Torresdale Diner from 1961 – 1976. In 1976, the family updated the diner with a slight renovation that included some new victorian-styled decorations salvaged from an old Atlantic City hotel and decided to change the name to The Dining Car. It operated as  such until they approached Swingle Diners about building them the new larger diner in 1981. Contrary to some reports I have read (as well as being mentioned by Nancy), The Dining Car was not the last brand-new diner built by Swingle Diners. I know this for a fact because when I visited the factory in 1984, they were just completing the final sections of the Penny II Diner of Norwalk, CT. Ironically while we were there, they received a phone call that the first two sections of the diner, which had left the factory on the previous day, had arrived on site that morning! Also, according to Mike Engle (co-author of Diners of New York), the Country View Diner of  Brunswick, NY was possibly the last diner out of the factory. It was built in 1988 and opened in 1989 as the Stagecoach Inn.

View of the right side front elevation of The Dining Car,
July 1, 1985 photo by Larry Cultrera

In the late 1980′s Bob Giaimo and Chef Ype Von Hengst of the proposed Silver Diner chain out of the Washington, DC area actually trained at The Dining Car to see how a large upscale diner operated. Giaimo and the Morozins remained friendy since then. In 1989, the Morozins decided they need to do something as the customers queuing up to purchase their baked goods from their in-house bakery were interfering with the other clientele who were attempting to pay for their meals. You see as Nancy explains it, the diner’s bakery is famous for its Apple Walnut Pie, which is similar to a cheesecake, baked in a pie shell with sweet apples folded inside and topped with walnuts rolled in brown sugar and cinnamon. Another popular item is the Jewish Apple Cake which is a European coffee cake baked with apples and cinnamon sugar. The diner received the “Best of Philadelphia” for that. So a new addition was planned to house and sell the baked goods. Looking for advice, Nancy approached Bob Giaimo to consult with as he previously had operated a chain of upscale bakery/cafés (American Café Restaurants). She hoped to get idea’s for the proposed “Market” addition. When all was said and done the new addition was grafted onto the front of the diner’s entryway. It was designed by the noted restaurant designer, Charles Morris Mount who also consulted along with Richard Gutman and Kullman Diners to design the first Silver Diner for Giaimo, located in Rockville, MD. As Nancy went on to tell me…. There are also a few food items that are uber popular that we sell in the “market” which is why she opted to call the new addition a “market” vs a “bakery”.

Joe Morozin Sr. and Nancy Morozin holding a copy of the revised Edition of
Diners of Pennsylvania by Brian Butko, Kevin Patrick and Kyle Weaver
photo courtesy of Kyle R. Weaver

The diner employs a staff of around 130 and with later additions currently seats 260 patrons. Many of the staff have been working at the diner for years and even decades. This is because the staff is treated like family and the same can be said about the regular customers!

Another interesting story Nancy related to me about the regular customers was when the new diner was installed back in 1981, it was placed on the property adjacent to the old diner. They were basically sitting back to back with a fence between the back walls of both the buildings. Apparently there were a handful of these regular customers who wanted to have the official last meal in the older diner and the first one in the newer diner. So to help facilitate this, an opening was made in the fence between the two diners and the customers in the old diner picked up their plates and coffee cups and proceeded to walk thru the kitchen of that diner, out the back door, thru the opening in the fence and into the back door of the new diner. They went thru that kitchen and into the main part of this diner to finish their meals! What a delightful story, to say the least!

Up until a few years ago The Dining Car was one of a handful of family-run diners that had operated under 2 or 3 generations. There was the Melrose Diner operated by the Kubach family, the Mayfair Diner operated by members of the Morrison, Struhm and Mulholland families as well as the Country Club Diner operated by the Perloff family. Within the last 6 years or so all of those diners with the exception of The Dining Car were bought by Michael Petrogiannis.  In fact Nancy says they too were approached by at least two or three parties who were inquiring whether they wanted to sell their diner a number of years ago, but the Morozins were not interested in selling. As far as I’m concerned, I believe I speak for all their regular customers as well as myself when I say that I am glad as well as relieved to know that the Morozin family will continue to operate this long-time Philadelphia institution for many years to come!

More recent view of the left side front elevation of The Dining Car, showing
the 1989 addition of the “Market” off the front of the entryway designed by
the late Charles Morris Mount, photo by Kyle R. Weaver

If you are ever in the Philadelphia area I highly recommend you visit The Dining Car, it is located at 8826 Frankford Avenue. Telephone is 215-338-5113 and you can also check out The Dining Car’s website at… http://www.thediningcar.com/

If you go, tell them Diner Hotline sent you!

I have been rather delinquent in posting recently. In part due to laziness and also because I have been contemplating this post, I just needed to scan a bunch of slides for it. A few months ago I scanned some slides for Michael Gabriele that he may or may not end up using in his forthcoming book – Classic Diners of New Jersey for my publisher, The History Press. Two of the slide boxes I left out purposely to remind me about this post and get busy scanning.

Well that really did not spur me into action and they sat (and sat). Finally a little over a week ago I got off my rear end and started scanning because Memorial Day Weekend was fast approaching and the post I wanted to write was about a Diner road trip I took on Memorial Day Weekend in 1986!

When I had scanned the slides of Paul’s Diner of Kearny, NJ for Mike G., I looked at the other slides in the box and remembered that trip. I also realized there was one other box of slides (as well as 5 slides in yet a third box) that were associated with that trip. So today I completed the scanning process and decided to get on with this post before the weekend is over!

Memorial Day Weekend in 1986 was May 24th thru 26th (Saturday to Monday). These road trips were usually taken with either Steve Repucci or David Hebb (or both). I believe this was a Dave Hebb trip….. well anyway, we more than likely took off early as I usually liked to do on Saturday, May 24th and made it down to Fairfield, CT and Larry’s Diner, as it was the first one photographed on this trip. That Saturday was pretty overcast, weather-wise as the photos will show.

I had already been to Larry’s 3 years earlier according to my Diner Log, so it was not listed in the log on this trip in 1986. We may even have had breakfast here but more than likely it was at the very least a coffee stop and photo op. This diner was built by the Jerry O’Mahony Co. in the early 1930′s and was still in extremely original condition at this point.

Larry’s Diner, U.S. Rte. 1 in Fairfield, CT  -  Right Front corner
May 24, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Larry’s Diner, U.S. Rte. 1 in Fairfield, CT   -  Left Front corner
May 24, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Larry’s Diner, U.S. Rte. 1 in Fairfield, CT  – Left front showing the interesting
addition to the diner – a lunch wagon sized annex with a frosted window!
May 24, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Larry’s Diner, was moved around the corner from this location in the 1990′s and completely gutted on the interior to become the front of another restaurant. The outside was also changed.

Our next stop was George’s Diner at 71 Main Street in Norwalk, CT. This was a Mountain View Diner that was also fairly original inside and out with one exception, there was a brick facade under the windows facing Main St. and on the entryway. The rest of the facade was intact. The diner is still there and operating under the name “Family Diner” now.

George’s Diner, 71 Main St.  in Norwalk, CT
May 24, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

George’s Diner, 71 Main St.  in Norwalk, CT
May 24, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Down the road a piece just off U.S. Rte. 1 in Cos Cob, CT was a small 1920′s vintage barrel-roofed diner called Thanh’s Diner. It had formerly been known as Pal Joey’s Diner. This was believed to be an old Tierney diner built down the road in New Rochelle. This diner does not exist anymore.

Thanh’s Diner, just off U.S. Rte. 1  in Cos Cob, CT
May 24, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Thanh’s Diner, just off U.S. Rte. 1  in Cos Cob, CT
May 24, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

A diner I had first read about in the book Diners of the Northeast by Donald Kaplan and Allison Bellink was the Chinatown Diner, a late 1940′s vintage diner (could be a Kullman but more than likely DeRaffele) located at 301 Halstead Ave. in Harrison, NY. It had been serving primarily Chinese food as well as an American breakfast menu when Don and Allison had visited it. By the time I finally got there in 1986, it had become an upscale bistro called the Silver Spoon Cafe.

Silver Spoon Cafe, 301 Halstead Ave.  in Harrison, NY
May 24, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Silver Spoon Cafe, 301 Halstead Ave.  in Harrison, NY
May 24, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

When I originally wrote this post I thought the Silver Spoon Cafe was the final photo op of the day. But alas, it turns out I missed a couple of images of yet another diner that was previously logged (it did not show up in the May of 1986 section of the log, that is why I forgot to upload these). It seems we got over to the northwest corner of the Garden State and checked out Prout’s Diner in Sussex by late afternoon.

Prout’s Diner, Main Street.  in Sussex, NJ
May 24, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Prout’s Diner, Main Street.  in Sussex, NJ
May 24, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

It looked like the weather was finally turning for the better before night came on and sure enough, bright and early on the morning of May 25th (my 33rd birthday), it was a very sunny day which made for a great breakfast and even better photos at Pal’s Diner on Rte. 17 in Mahwah, NJ.

Pal’s Diner, Rte. 17  in Mahwah, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Pal’s Diner, Rte. 17  in Mahwah, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Pal’s Diner is one of a very few diners I have photographed that was built by Manno Diners. It was moved in the 1990′s to Grand Rapids, Michigan where it continues to operate to this day!

The next diner photographed that morning (according to the order of slides in the box) was in fact another diner I had previously visited, the White Manna on River Street in Hackensack, NJ. This was the first of several “small” diners we documented on this trip. All of these particular small diners were built dating from the late 1930′s to early 1950′s. Most offered limited menus offering hamburgers, etc. Being that it was Sunday morning, it was not open at the point in time that I stopped. I was able to document it pretty well on the exterior but the fact that it was closed offered me a great opportunity to get some great interior “thru-the-window” shots as well.

White Manna, 358 River St.  in Hackensack, NJ
May 25, 1986 exterior photo by Larry Cultrera

White Manna, 358 River St.  in Hackensack, NJ
May 25, 1986 exterior photo by Larry Cultrera

White Manna, 358 River St.  in Hackensack, NJ
May 25, 1986 interior photo by Larry Cultrera

White Manna, 358 River St.  in Hackensack, NJ
May 25, 1986 interior photo by Larry Cultrera

White Manna, 358 River St.  in Hackensack, NJ
May 25, 1986 interior photo by Larry Cultrera

White Manna, 358 River St.  in Hackensack, NJ
May 25, 1986 interior photo by Larry Cultrera

White Manna, 358 River St.  in Hackensack, NJ
May 25, 1986 interior photo by Larry Cultrera

Next up was another small diner….. the White Diamond on St. Georges Ave. (Rte. 27) in Linden, NJ. This looks to be built by Mountain View diners and I believe it was moved to another location not too far away within the intervening years since I documented it.

White Diamond, St. Georges Ave.  in Linden, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

White Diamond, St. Georges Ave.  in Linden, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Another small diner and possibly the jewel of the bunch was the Short Stop located at 26 Washington Ave. in Belleville, NJ. One of the cutest diners I have ever photographed, this diner was bought quite a few years ago by Steve Harwin of Cleveland, Ohio’s Diversified Diners. As far as I know, Steve still has this one in storage.

Short Stop Diner, 26 Washington Ave.  in Belleville, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Short Stop Diner, 26 Washington Ave.  in Belleville, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

We made it over to the Harrison/Kearny area after this and saw Max’s Grill, but probably due to the morning light and Max’s being on the wrong side of the street… I did not shoot any photos of it. Just up the street from Max’s on the opposite side just over the line in Kearny we came across another small diner, the Blue Castle System. This diner has since disappeared. There is a Shell Gas Station on the sight now according to Google street view.

Blue Castle System Diner, 829 Harrison Ave.  in Kearny, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Blue Castle System Diner, 829 Harrison Ave.  in Kearny, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Just down the street from the Blue Castle was Paul’s Diner, a 1940′s vintage Fodero. I have recently found out the diner is still there and operating as the Cardinal Diner. The only visible change I could determine was that it now sports a mansard roof that covers the original monitor style roof.

Paul’s Diner, 1002 Harrison Ave.  in Kearny, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Paul’s Diner, 1002 Harrison Ave.  in Kearny, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

We got over to the Orange, NJ area shortly after and located the closed (taken for back taxes) Orange Diner on Lincoln Ave. behind the U.S. Post Office. This was a nice looking Mountain View diner. I do not know what happened to this diner other than the fact that the space is currently occupied by a parking lot.

Orange Diner, Lincoln Ave.  in Orange, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Orange Diner, Lincoln Ave.  in Orange, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Also in Orange we found the State Diner over on Valley Road. This 1950′s Kullman diner as far as I know is still there, although I do not know if it is currently in operation.

State Diner, Valley Rd.  in Orange, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

State Diner, Valley Rd.  in Orange, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Next up was the nicely preserved 1930′s vintage Summit Diner located at the corner of Summit Ave. and Union Place in downtown Summit, NJ. This was typical of what the Jerry O’Mahony diner company was building by the late 30′s. The diner is still there and operating.

Summit Diner, Summit Ave. & Union Pl.  in Summit, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Summit Diner, Summit Ave. & Union Pl.  in Summit, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

Here is the last small diner we saw that day… the 2nd of 3 White Diamond Hamburger places (we did not see the 3rd one located in Clark, NJ on this trip). This one was located at the corner of Bayway Ave. and Thomas St. in Elizabeth, NJ. I just checked Google street view and there is a Dunkin Donuts on the same location now.

White Diamond, Bayway Ave. & Thomas St.  in Elizabeth, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

White Diamond, Bayway Ave. & Thomas St.  in Elizabeth, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

White Diamond, Bayway Ave. & Thomas St.  in Elizabeth, NJ
May 25, 1986 photo by Larry Cultrera

After Elizabeth, NJ we were back on the road for home and made one last stop for a photo op back in Norwalk, CT. This was for the former Norwalk Diner at that time operating as Cafe Osman. This looks to be a 1940 vintage DeRaffele diner, the type that resembled what Fodero was building at the same point in time. This diner had been altered by bricking up the facade under the windows. In fact the diner which was situated end-wise to the street had a door that was in the center of the facade facing the driveway/parking area that apparently was not used anymore. This door had been “bricked-up” as well with only the top half of the window showing. I do not know if this is still there.

Cafe Osman, Main St.  in Norwalk, CT
May 25, 1986 exterior photo by Larry Cultrera

Cafe Osman, Main St.  in Norwalk, CT
May 25, 1986 exterior photo by Larry Cultrera

Cafe Osman, Main St.  in Norwalk, CT
May 25, 1986 interior photo by Larry Cultrera

The next road trip was not until August 1st of 1986when Dave Hebb and I photographed a couple of diners in Verbank and Millbrook… in eastern upstate New York.

Well as reported in the past few months, the Rosebud Diner of Davis Square in Somerville, Mass. has finally closed under the ownership of the Nichols family after a long run. The Nichols’ actually purchased the diner from its original owner back in 1957 and almost immediately they converted it to use as a Cocktail Lounge/Bar. The backbar was removed along with all the cooking equipment and the original ventilation hood when it became the cocktail lounge. It was operated this way right up until around 1989 when the family sold it. During the time period from 1989-1994 it was operated by at least 2 different entities, one of which was a Tex-Mex place called the Cuckoo’s Nest. At that point a couple of more changes were made to the already altered interior. The original stainless steel covered refrigerator was removed and the left end of the counter was chopped off. When the place closed circa 1994, the new owners defaulted on the mortgage that was held by the Nichols family. The Nichols’ ended up getting the diner back thru land court at this point. The diner had gotten a slightly bad reputation and the Nichols’ decided that it was time to bring the building back as a true diner.

Bill and Nicky Nichols on Grand Reopening day, February, 1995 at the
Rosebud Diner -  photo by Larry Cultrera

So the family spent a few months cleaning up the interior by refinishing the original woodwork getting some used wooden booths that were not too different than what had been there originally as well as installing a new left end of the counter. They also refurbished the neon sign on the roof. The menu from 1995 to now had been slightly upscale but the diner was now serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The back room which had operated as another space variously as an upscale Italian Restaurant, Night Club and eventually a venue for live music acts and bar & grill since 1995. About a year and a half ago rumors started flying that the diner was for sale. The first rumors never panned out but more recently the word got out that a guy named Marty Bloom was in the running to buy the place. Bloom had started the successful chain of upscale restaurants called Vinny Testa’s (later known as Vinny T’s) and eventually sold the chain and started other venues. Bloom’s reported plans for the diner have not sounded like he wants to retain the interior character unfortunately. He does say the exterior will remain the same and as I believe, the fact that the diner is listed in the National Register of Historic Places will not protect it from being altered. So I guess the future of this classic diner remains to be seen.

Back in March, Glenn Wells and Mike Engle decided they wanted to make a trip out from the Albany area to check out the Rosebud one last time. They were joined by myself, David Hebb, Gary Thomas and Bob Marville on March 3, 2013 and we all had breakfast. We kibitzed with Billy Nichols and Helen DeFransisco and shot some photos, etc.

Left to right, Larry Cultrera, Glenn Wells (in back), David Hebb, Mike Engle, Gary Thomas and Bob Marville at the Rosebud Diner. March 3, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

I have been friends with Billy Nichols for around 30 years. Along with my friendship, I have actually designed the logo for their coffee mugs as well as a breakfast menu and 2 post cards for the diner. I actually had one last meal about 3 weeks ago on a Friday night and the diner closed after the day of business on Sunday May 26, 2013. I got an email this past Saturday morning from Dick Gutman who had placed a link for  a Craigslist ad  to a yard sale at the diner. They were selling off various and sundry things like dish ware, pots and pans, etc. Denise and I stopped by for one last visit.

Bill and Nicky Nichols on Saturday June 1, 2013 at the Rosebud Diner
 photo by Larry Cultrera

 Rosebud Diner during yard sale, June 1, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

I’ll be keeping in touch with Billy Nichols and wish him well along with Helen DeFransisco, his dad Gally and brother Nicky. I hope the diner does not get trashed too bad, but I guess that will remain to be seen.

The Silver Diner Restaurant not showing too much silver (stainless steel)
Note that the sign says “Trailer For Sale” (I hate when people refer to diners
as trailers!) photo courtesy of Steve Harwin & Diversified Diners

Once upon a time there was a place called the Silver Diner located in London, Kentucky. This was a 1947 Silk City Diner built by the Paterson Vehicle Company of Paterson, NJ. The Silver diner was a little worse for wear when it closed at the end of 2005. Steve Harwin of Cleveland, Ohio’s Diversified Diners heard about the closed diner and that it was available. Steve went down to Kentucky to inspect the diner and here is his description of what he found…..

It had a front entrance and a side entrance but the vestibule was missing. There were two doors leading out the back of the diner, a center door for the access to an annex kitchen and the door on the right side leading into additional seating area and rest rooms.

Steve also told me in a recent phone conversation that 90% of the original stainless steel facade had been stripped off when the T-111 wooden paneling was added to the facade, (as the photos show). Also, another roof had been built that incorporated the diner with the attached building. Only the stainless steel trim around the windows and the corner pieces were left intact from the diners original facade. When Harwin decided to obtain the diner, he got a crew together to extract it from the remaining structure and remove it from its site for transport back to Cleveland.

The Silver Diner in process of being extracted from the attached building.
photo courtesy of Steve Harwin & Diversified Diners

Interior view of the Silver Diner shows that a huge amount of originality existed on the inside as compared to the outside.
photo courtesy of Steve Harwin & Diversified Diners

Another interior view of the Silver Diner.
photo courtesy of Steve Harwin & Diversified Diners

As Steve Harwin goes on to say….  The diner was configured by the factory to seat 52 but we modified it slightly to allow for more spacious seating and ADA accessibility.  It measures approximately 40 foot long by 15 foot wide. It took 8 months to restore the diner for new owner Matthias Kaplanow.

Steve told me this restoration was a challenge for him. Even though he had restored quite a few Silk City Diners, all of those previous diners had porcelain enameled steel panels and not the stainless steel panels that these slightly newer models had. To assist in the restoration he traveled to Meriden, CT and took numerous photos of  the former New Palace Diner now operating as Cassidy’s Diner, which was a similar model. The photos helped him replicate the stainless steel panels that he then had to figure out how to install properly. The restoration of this was completed in 2010 and Steve was justifiably proud of the outcome. The diner was then moved to Ottawa, Ohio where Kaplanow, a German national had some property. He opened the establishment as the Hometown Diner.

Front elevation of the Hometown Diner after installation in Ottawa, OH
photo courtesy of Steve Harwin & Diversified Diners

Side elevation of the Hometown Diner after installation in Ottawa, OH
This shows the kitchen and dining room addition with matching stainless
steel facade. photo courtesy of Steve Harwin & Diversified Diners

Interior view of the Hometown Diner after installation in Ottawa, OH
photo courtesy of Steve Harwin & Diversified Diners

Unfortunately, Matt Kaplanow was under the mistaken impression that he could run the diner from his home in Germany. This arrangement did not work out and the diner was closed in 2012. Around this same time ironically  I received an email from Evie Goodspeed, (on July 10, 2012 to be exact). Evie works for Tim Halliday, the owner of 202 Truck & Equipment located in Rindge, NH. She told me in this email that they had been looking for the past year for a Diner for sale and have not had much luck. In Evie’s email to me, she basically wanted to know if I was aware of any diners in the Northeast that might be for sale. She went on to say…. we have the ability to move a diner ourselves. Any info you might have would be great.

I got back to Evie and suggested she get in touch with Dave Pritchard of Salisbury, Mass. who had 2 or 3 diners possibly for sale. She immediately answered that they had known about Dave and already checked out what diners he had, basically deciding the diners did not meet their requirements. I also told Evie about Steve Harwin and she immediately said that they had actually been in contact with Steve but communication was moving very slowly. In fact Steve ultimately told them he did not have a diner at that point in time available for sale.

So I then mentioned the former Forbes Diner in New Haven, CT which off the top of my head was the only other one I could think of at that time that was available and ready to move.  I gave her whatever contact info I had for that diner and Tim immediately decided to go down to inspect it the next day, ultimately deciding that that particular diner needed too much work. I did not hear from Evie or Tim again after that. It seems their luck would change not too long after this when Steve Harwin called to let them know of the availability of the closed Hometown Diner.

Fast forward to about a month ago…. I read online that a new diner was coming to Rindge, NH. I started reading the piece and then the light bulb went off…. I know who this is and what diner they are buying! I immediately got on the phone and talked with Evie. I said to her (without identifying myself), I see you people got the diner you were looking for! She laughed and I then identified myself and she said they had mentioned my name within the last few days and were going to let me know about the news…. but I beat them to it.

The diner was moved from Ohio to New Hampshire shortly after I spoke with Evie in early June.  Denise and I decided to take a ride this past Sunday to take a look at the diner which was reportedly already installed on a foundation at its new location, the intersection of U.S. Rte. 202 and State Rte. 119. It was a beautiful day for the ride and I was able to take quite a few great photos of the diner ….

Hometown Diner at its new location in New Hampshire
June 9, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Hometown Diner at its new location in New Hampshire
June 9, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Hometown Diner at its new location in New Hampshire
June 9, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Hometown Diner at its new location in New Hampshire
June 9, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Interior photo of the Hometown Diner, June 9, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Looks like I can still rock these thru-the-window interior shots – Thanks
Dick Gutman!!!!!

Hometown Diner at its new location in New Hampshire
June 9, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

I tried to get in touch with Tim before I took the ride out to Rindge. I actually spoke to his wife Anne who told me to stop by the 202 Truck & Equipment business as Tim would be there. I did stop but the place seemed closed and no one was there. I called Tim’s house and again spoke with Anne after I got back. I asked her about the entryway and other pieces of the diner. She told me they were in a storage trailer along with that great neon sign it had in Ottawa, OH. So, I did not get a chance to meet Tim or Evie on this trip as it was sort of spur of the moment, but that will come in the future! I did eventually speak with Tim the next morning and he told me that he hopes to have the diner up and running by September. He will not be operating it himself but is in negotiations with interested people who are very experienced in running a food establishment. I certainly will be keeping tabs on this and will update the progress as well as hope to be there when the diner opens!

Mike & Kim Pinto on the “Diner Trail”. June 20, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

I was checking out Facebook this past weekend and found a post from the Point Diner (AKA the Somers Point Diner)  of Somers Point, NJ. They basically posted a link to a new blog I had never heard of. It was called “Diner Diaries”. Written by Kim Pinto, the blog is primarily an extension of a journal that Kim is keeping for an interesting road trip she and her husband Mike have embarked on, the link for the blog is  http://pintodiner.com. Both Kim and Mike are eduacators, Mike as a school principal and Kim teaches a combined 2nd and 3rd grade class. I read a couple of her posts on the blog and decided to get in touch with her, primarily to let her know that she is not alone in her journey and that those of us who preceded her on the “Diner Trail” can understand her quest.

Within a short period of time, I got a reply to my email and it was a very nice message to say the least…..
Hi Larry! What a completely humble moment to be contacted by you, thank you.  My second and third graders have poured over your book (Classic Diners of Massachusetts) as we planned this trip and I can’t wait to share that you sent me a note.  Our goal is to trek to Massachusetts in four days, after a stint in NYC. Your book is in my bag. This has been an incredible journey and I want to thank you for being a part of it.  I am sincerely amazed that you have photographed so many diners and have provided the world with your findings.  You sir are a difference maker.  How fun that your wife is a retired teacher.  Please tell her hello from me! Thank you again Larry for extending such kind words.  I am so very bummed I didn’t get to sit and break bread in the American Dream diner…it is so interesting that you photographed that diner from the start. Have a wonderful day!  Kim

I was certainly surprised and delighted that she has my book for a reference. As she mentioned, they were on their way to New York City and that they would be heading to Massachusetts toward mid-week. I suggested we try to get together, which she thought was a great idea. I then decided to do this post and asked her for some info about the blog/trip and this is what Kim said….

Back in December I made a visit to Salisbury, Mass. to reconnect with a diner I first saw in 1989. I wrote about it here in January…. http://dinerhotline.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/notes-from-the-hotline-jan-20-2013/. This was the former Monarch Diner that was originally located in Dover, NH from 1950 to 1968. It was moved to North Berwick, Maine and operated for a short time as Lois’ Diner. It remained closed on-site in North Berwick from 1973 to 1986 and was moved to storage in Sanford, Maine, where I first saw it in 1989. Here is a post I did in March of 2010 on abandoned diners that shows the diner in Sanford….. http://dinerhotline.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/abandoned-luncheonettes/

Ironically I saw this diner along a stretch of road somewhere in southern Maine possibly 10 years later. I believe it was in transition and possibly on its way to Salisbury where it remained in storage until 2 weeks ago. Roger Elkus who is the owner of the “Me & Ollie’s Bakery/Cafe chain of southeastern NH along with his production manager Daryl McGann have plans to reopen the former Monarch Diner and operate it as Roger’s Redliner Diner. It will become an anchor of one end of  the new section of Southgate Plaza shopping center being constructed on Lafayette Rd (U.S. Rte. 1) abutting Water Country water park. In fact, it looks like the building for the kitchen/rest rooms is actually part of the new addition to the shopping center. Basically the diner will be grafted to the front of that building. They have a lot of work to do to get this diner up and running again. All the windows need replacement glass and the exterior needs some sprucing up. All the original stripes (I am assuming they were red – possibly flex-glass reflective strips) are missing. These can easily be replaced with a red plastic or enamel strip and an entryway vestibule will need to be either recreated or a reasonable facsimile be built. Elkus and McGann are shooting for an opening in the Fall of this year. We wish them luck!

Roger’s Redliner Diner on site at the new location in Portsmouth, NH
June 23, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Close-up of Roger’s Redliner Diner. June 23, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Roger’s Redliner Diner showing the pad and piers supporting the structure
June 23, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Rear view showing the footing of the building the diner will be grafted on to.
June 23, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Salem Diner, April 5, 2009 photo by Larry Cultrera

I was totally surprised to read that George and Zoe Elefteriadis, owner/operators of the Salem Diner of Salem . Mass. have been made an offer they could not refuse. Neighboring Salem State University has just announced they are buying the diner from the Elefteriadis’ for $600,000. Denise and I are fairly regular customers and try to get there at least once every 2 weeks or more. Anyway, here is an article from the Salem News about the pending sale……

http://m.salemnews.com/TSN/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=s4kWyVVr&full=true#display

I will attempt to find out more this Saturday when we head up for breakfast bright and early.

Well, we visited the Salem Diner on Saturday for our usual breakfast between 5:30 and 6:15 AM. It was doing a great business even at that early hour. I went back to the kitchen to speak with owner George Elefteriadis about the sale of the diner to Salem State University. He said that he thought the diner would be in good hands as far as remaining intact and preserved. He and his lovely wife Zoe are retiring after many years of serving great food to many loyal customers in quite a few different restaurants, the last five and a half years here at the Salem Diner. I have stated this before… it is my firm belief that the Elefteriadis’ brought this diner back to life when they bought it. They turned it around from the slide it had been on, business-wise for a good 6 years or more prior to their purchase of this historic Sterling Streamliner. George thanked me again for being an enthusiastic supporter of their efforts and I said that it was my pleasure as Denise and I really and truly enjoyed eating there under their ownership.

Salem Diner, Saturday around 6:00 AM, June 29, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Salem Diner, Saturday around 6:00 AM, June 29, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Salem Diner, Saturday around 6:00 AM, June 29, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

George also told me the diner was physically closing on July 3rd (today). I was a little surprised it was happening so fast and made plans to come back within a few hours to say goodbye to Zoe. So around 9:00 AM we were back for coffee and a last goodbye to Zoe, Janie and Jose. I had hoped to get a photo of the whole crew but they were swamped and there just was not an opportunity to get the shot. I did get their last copy of my book “Classic Diners of Massachusetts” (they had sold a number of them). I also got the cardboard display they had gotten from The History Press. This will come in handy when I attend the New England Authors Expo later this month in Danvers, Mass. I will be one of two authors  attending this event occupying the table for our publisher, The History Press.

Salem Diner around 9:00 AM, June 29, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Salem Diner around 9:00 AM, June 29, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

I am a little sad that we will not be able to have a meal here, at least for the near future. I was a little concerned about the University’s possible plans for the diner and wrote an email addressed to both Patricia Meservey, the President of the University and Karen Cady, the Senior Director for University Relations. I introduced myself and told them of my interest and almost 33 years of documenting diners as well as about my book and this blog. I also wanted to express my concerns for the future of the diner. I mentioned how this was only one of two Sterling Streamliners left operating that are still in existence and how I would hate to see anything bad happen to it. I told them that I knew the article in the Salem News stated that the University is committed to preserving the diner and that it hopefully will reopen sometime in the future and that I would like to hear from them on this subject and possibly be kept informed on any developments in the diner’s future and continued existence. I got this following response from Ms Cady…….

Mr. Cultrera,

Many thanks for reaching out to us with this very interesting information. It is good to know of your interest in Classic Diners – and yes, the Salem Diner is certainly a favorite of so many of us on the North Shore. We have learned quite a bit of history of the Salem Diner via the Massachusetts Historical Commission and hope to learn even more through resources such as the one you have referenced.

I want to reaffirm that Salem State is committed to the protection of this unique property. The Diner is such an important piece of the historical fabric of Salem, and the university has made it a priority to preserve it for future generations to enjoy. I will keep you apprised of any future updates on the property – as indicated in the Salem News article, no concrete decisions have been made…except for the commitment of preservation.

Thank you again for contacting me.

Karen Cady

So, with that I want to wish both George and Zoe Elefteriadis well in their upcoming retirement and hope to keep in touch with them. I will post any further developments on the Salem Diner and its future here whenever I know anything!

Miss Adams Diner, Worcester Lunch Car No. 821. August 10, 2013 photo by
Larry Cultrera

I made a “quick” trip out to Adams, Mass. yesterday from my home in Saugus, Mass. Now if some of you do not know, this trip was from the extreme eastern end of the Bay State to the extreme western end…. a 3 hour ride one way! To not waste a huge portion of the day, I left at 3:45 AM (hey, I am up at that time anyway). My route for this trip is my very favorite in Massachusetts – State Route 2 (the western portion of this road is known as the Mohawk Trail) with three stops along the way, the first for a quick off/on in Leominster for a coffee to go (McDonald’s “Newman’s Own” coffee is very good by the way – a first for me). The second stop was for gas in Greenfield and the third was a very brief 3 photo stop at the infamous “Hairpin Turn” at the North Adams/Clarksburg town line (around 6:30 AM).

So, from the Hairpin Turn, it was a 15 minute ride to my destination…. the Miss Adams Diner in the town of Adams (south of North Adams on Rte. 8). I needed to get out to visit with Philomene & Ric Belair who have operated the diner since February of 2010. I initially met them a little over 2 years ago on a photo and fact finding excursion for my book, Classic Diners of Massachusetts. The diner is one of the ones I featured in the chapter on Western Massachusetts.

Unfortunately, the Belairs have been leasing the diner and earlier this year were informed by the owner that he was putting the place up for sale. Phil & Ric could not swing the purchase price so as of this coming Thursday, August 15th, the diner will be closed. The word is a local pizza place will move in. As far as I’m concerned, not a good reuse for the diner. In fact Phil pointed out to me that the recent history of this place has proven that any use other than as a working traditional diner here has been short-lived.

Left to right – Larry Cultrera, Ric Belair and Philomene Belair inside the Miss Adams Diner. August 10, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

I am particularly saddened by this turn of events as I have been reporting on too many diner closings recently. I want to wish Phil & Ric well in their future endeavors and will be keeping in touch with them.

A Brand-new book on New Hampshire Diners in the works

Littleton Diner – Littleton, NH, July 30, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

I have been fairly inactive for over a month, as far as posting anything new here. No excuses, just a little end of the summer laziness on my part. But not to worry….. I have been getting out on the road recently, mostly starting at the end of July right thru to Labor day Weekend, with a few trips to the Granite State (New Hampshire for those non-local readers).  The reason for this is that I was contacted by Katie Orlando, a Commissioning Editor for my publisher, The History Press. She inquired if I was interested in writing another book for them, this time on Diners of New Hampshire. I told her that I would need to think about it as well as talk it over with my wife Denise.

Plain Jane’s Diner – Rumney, NH, July 30, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

After some consideration, I got back to Katie and told her I thought that this book was a possibility and she sent the “Authors Proposal” for me to fill out. I took my time filling it out as I needed to think about how this book would work, as opposed to my first one, Classic Diners of Massachusetts. I realized fairly quickly that the new book could not be set-up like the first. You see, Massachusetts has clearly defined regions with many diners. This approach would not be workable with New Hampshire’s geography and diner count.

Route 104 Diner – New Hampton, NH, August 3, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

After coming to this conclusion, I started putting the proposal together which included a rough outline for the book. It was easier this time around because I did not have to include any writing samples. I just told them to refer to the first book!  I finally sent this proposal to Katie, within the last couple of weeks.  As of this Wednesday The History Press gave the project a green light.

Tilt’n Diner – Tilton, NH, August 3, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

In the meantime, in anticipation of the project I started taking some updated photos of New Hampshire diners. Some of my photos of them go back 30 years. I figured that I would get a jump while the good weather was here and try to hit some of the far-flung diners and meet the current owners, gathering new photos and info. My deadline is fairly long this time around (on purpose), that is part of the reason I took my time in getting the proposal in. So any photos I do not get in the next couple of months, I can surely make up for in the spring and early summer of 2014. So, here we go again!

Mt. Pisgah Diner – Winchester, NH, August 31, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

By the way, on a side note, the new book will not be titled “Classic Diners of New Hampshire” as I had hoped. I did want to continue the theme but Katie informed me that a guy named Bruce D. Heald, an historian and author of many books about New Hampshire is slated to bring a book with that title out in the spring (for Fonthill Media). I respect Mr. Heald’s credentials and would be interested to see what he comes up with but, he is not a known diner aficionado and to my knowledge, has not contacted anybody who could be described as an expert in this field of interest as of yet.

Hillsborough Diner – Hillsborough, NH, August 31, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

I have not decided on a title yet but will be working on this in the near future.

The History Press to release 2 new “Diner” books this Fall

Speaking of “Diner” books, I am happy to report that my publisher is about to release 2 new titles this fall…. the second and third after my Massachusetts book. Toward the end of September, Michael Gabriele’s The History of Diners in New Jersey will be available. I believe I will be mentioned in this book as well as some photos of mine might actually show up in the book. I am anxious to see what he has put together.

Following the NJ book, sometime in October, Garrison Leykam’s “Classic Diners of Connecticut” book will be out. I was surprised to see my name (along with Christopher Dobbs) on the cover. We both contributed Forewords to this book.

Iron Town Diner opens within walking distance of my house

I have been waiting all summer for the opening of a new diner located right around the corner from where I live. Toward the end of May, a sign went up on a vacant storefront in the Village Park Shopping Center that is situated on Main Street at the corner of the Lynn Fells Parkway in Saugus, Mass. This storefront had been occupied for years by J.Pace’s, an Italian Deli/specialty store. Pace’s moved down the street about a quarter mile to a new building that they built, leaving the storefront vacant for almost 2 years. The landlord has subdivided the location and Iron Town diner is in not quite half of Pace’s spot.

Iron Town Diner sign – Saugus, Mass., May 19, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

The owner of the Iron Town Diner is George Varelas and I actually stopped by back in August and spoke with Athena, George’s mother. She was gracious and gave me a little tour of the as yet unfinished diner. I was impressed with what they had done to essentially a blank canvas. The interior was well laid out with a small “L” shaped counter on the left side along with tables and chairs as well as booths. She mentioned the diner would hold upwards of 90 patrons, a pretty decent size! Athena said they were looking at an early September opening.

I met George last Sunday morning and he told me they were opening the next day (Sept. 9th). I told him we would stop by on bright and early on Saturday ! True to my word, Denise and I stopped in this morning and before we actually step a foot within the diner, I saw a familiar face….. Saadia Zraizaa was a waitress there! We became friendly with Saadia last year when she and her husband had been running the Medford Square Diner in my hometown of Medford. We had found out that Saadia had worked for 10 years at the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown. I had heard thru the grapevine that she had sold the business in Medford a few months ago and was not surprised to see her here, as she lives in nearby Revere. She is very pleasant and during our conversation this morning, I realized that I had actually met her years ago when she worked for Judy’s Diner in Malden for 7 years in the late 1980′s and early 90′s.

Iron Town Diner -  Saugus, Mass., September 14, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Anyway we had a very good breakfast at Iron Town Diner (named for the Historic Saugus Iron Works, a National Historic Site). The portions are pretty good sized and prices reasonable and the service is pleasant. I understand they have been doing a pretty decent business since they opened their doors! I know one thing, I could easily become a regular customer here for sure!

As many people who follow this blog know, I have been documenting diners going on 33 years (next month) and have photographed over 830 of them in that time. I think back of all the diners and people I have met thru this personal research project over the years, but I always go back to my early experiences. The ones I can trace all the way back to growing up in Medford, Massachusetts in the 1950′s thru the 1970′s. I had  3 diners that I would get the chance to frequent during that time period, Bobbie’s Diner and the Star Lite Diner both on Mystic Avenue and Carroll’s Colonial Dining Car on Main Street. I have to say the diner I spent the most amount of time in was Carroll’s Diner, partially because it outlasted all the others, but there were many other reasons as well.

Carroll’s was THE meeting place for all of Medford and beyond! It was open 24/7 and was the place to go to “see and be seen”. There was many a late night/early morning spent waiting in line to get in the diner after last call at the local bars and clubs. Also for a time, it seems I was there daily hangin’ with my friends, usually multiple times in a day. I recall cruising into the front parking lot to see if any of my friends cars were parked, continuing into the back parking lot to check there as well. Now granted, the presence of someone’s car did not always mean they were actually there, so of course we had to go in to see if they in fact were! Ah, memories…. I have many for sure….. the stories I could tell!

There were actually 3 incarnations of Carroll’s, a 1928 Brill Diner that operated from 1930 to 1948. That first diner actually remained on-site, becoming the kitchen for the 2nd Carroll’s Diner…. a 1948 stainless steel Jerry O’Mahony Diner. The O’Mahony operated until 1961 when it was replaced by an “L” shaped Swingle Diner that was placed on the adjoining property. The Carroll brothers, Maury and Jack actually were on the cutting edge when they bought that Swingle Diner. It was undoubtedly the most modern diner not only in the greater Boston area, but in fact all of northern New England for the next few years. This third and last incarnation of Carroll’s operated until December of 1986.

Carroll’s Diner, August 1983 photo by Larry Cultrera

One of the more memorable stories I can relate was the time in March, 1986 when I was interviewed by the late Donald Dale Jackson, a talented frequent contributor to Smithsonian Magazine. We sat in a booth at Carroll’s and talked about diners and my involvement with them. I have to say that this particular piece he wrote single handedly  increased my standing as one of the most visible Diner Buffs in the country. Ironically, I was not the only Medford guy included in that article. John F. Carroll Jr. (Jack Carroll’s son) was also interviewed for this piece!

I am honored to say that in the early to mid 1990′s John and I became friends and remained in contact with each other until his untimely passing due to cancer in January of 1996. Through him I renewed my past acquaintanceship with his cousins Maury, Tom and Paul, as well as his dad Jack and Uncle Maury. I took it upon myself to write a history of the Carroll family’s involvement in the diner business within the last year and a half for this blog in honor of the opening of Carroll’s Bar & Grill in Medford Square (the restaurant opened in May, 2012). You can read this history here…… http://dinerhotline.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/carrolls-bar-grille-looking-at-spring-opening-in-medford-mass/.

On September 27th, I received an email from the City of Medford with an invitation to attend a dedication ceremony to be held on Saturday, October 5th. This ceremony was being held at 101 Main Street in Medford (the former site of Carroll’s Diner) where a newly refurbished island in the median strip separating the north and southbound lanes of Main Street (Route 38) was to be dedicated with a plaque honoring Maurice W. Carroll Sr., Maurice W. “Maury” Carroll Jr. and John F. “Jack” Carroll, the owners of Carroll’s Diner.

Well Denise and I did attend the ceremony along with my brother Rick. There was a decent crowd of people there along with Mayor Michael McGlynn, and members of the City Council and School Committee as well as State Representative Paul Donato. Many members of the Carroll family were in attendance including Mrs. Dolores Carroll, the late Maury Jr’s wife, Maury Carroll III and his wife Carla as well as their 3 children Lesley, Jill and Maury IV. Maury III’s brothers Tom and Paul, Paul’s wife Debbie with their children Courtney Albano, David Carroll and Michael Carroll as well as their sister, Diane DeBenedictis with her husband Frank and daughters Christina Walker & Deanna DeBenedictis.  Marianne Galeazzi, daughter of the late Jack Carroll was also there with her husband Rick. I apologize if I left anyone out.

It was nice to see the restaurant’s logo which has existed since the 1950′s and resurrected for the new Carroll’s Bar & Grill located a block down the street on the new plaque. October 5, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

At the dedication of the plaque, standing on the wall from left to right,Paul Carroll, Tom Carroll and Maury Carroll III. On the street from left to right is Mrs. Dolores Carroll (partially hidden), Diane DeBenedictis, Marrianne Galeazzi and Mayor Michael McGlynn. October 5, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

At the dedication of the plaque, standing on the wall from left to right,Paul Carroll, Tom Carroll and Maury Carroll III. On the street from left to right is Mrs. Dolores Carroll (partially hidden), Diane DeBenedictis, Marrianne Galeazzi and Mayor Michael McGlynn. October 5, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Maury Carroll addressing the crowd after the unveiling of the plaque.
October 5, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Singing  God Bless America (lead by the talented Deanna DeBenedictis) with other members of the Carroll family, accompanied by the Medford High Alumni band.
October 5, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Following the ceremony, the crowd was invited back to Carroll’s Bar & Grill for some food and refreshments…….

A photo of the attendees enjoying some food and refreshments at Carroll’s Bar & Grill after the dedication ceremony. October 5, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

A photo of the attendees enjoying some food and refreshments at Carroll’s Bar & Grill after the dedication ceremony. October 5, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

A photo of the attendees enjoying some food and refreshments at Carroll’s Bar & Grill after the dedication ceremony. October 5, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

One of 2 remaining decorative stainless steel “C’s” that had been mounted on the tall chimney behind the former diner from 1961-1986. It was recently modified to be back lit. October 5, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Back in June I wrote about a diner being relocated to Rindge, NH from Ohio by way of Kentucky.  This was the Hometown Diner a 1949 (Silk City No. 4931) Which had been restored by Steve Harwin’s Diversified Diners out of Cleveland, OH.
http://www.diversifieddiners.com/
You can read that post here…. http://dinerhotline.wordpress.com/2013/06/15/new-home-for-hometown-diner/.  I revisited the diner on Labor Day weekend to see what progress had been made and there were close to a dozen workmen swarming the place to get it ready for opening.

Hometown Diner being worked on – August 30, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Well I am happy to announce that the diner finally opened on October 4th and by all accounts, the place has been swamped with large amount of customers since the opening! I received an email from Bob Higgins this past Friday relating his experience and he gave it a very good review.  Denise and I took a ride this Sunday to have breakfast there. It was a little foggy driving out and the first photo will show a little of that…..

Hometown Diner, now open…. October 13, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Owner Tim Halliday was able to get a seasoned food service professional, Bonita “Bonnie” Rosengrant to operate the new diner. They hired a crew of locals as waitstaff who all seem pleasant and efficient.

Interior of Hometown Diner before the Sunday crowds showed up.
October 13, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Interior of add-on dining room looking toward the diner. Notice the newly installed green and black ceramic tile that was installed on the wall to match the diner’s tile work. October 13, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Interior of add-on dining room looking from the diner. Restrooms are down that hallway. October 13, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Hometown Diner in the emerging sun light after breakfast.
October 13, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

As is usually the case, things have not gone smoothly as the crew was having problems keeping up with the crowds in the first days of operation. I understand that the kitchen needs to be reconfigured to facilitate better work flow as the initial week of operation has uncovered flaws with the original layout. So the diner is closed today (Tuesday the 15th) and the contractors will be working furiously to rearrange the layout and hopefully have it open by tomorrow. The food we had was delicious and with the serving staff getting use to the operation, service will certainly improve. It seems like people are flocking to the diner and I hope that Bonnie Rosengrant and her crew have a  nice long run with the Hometown Diner!

The famous 68 foot tall Hilltop Steak House sign. October 14, 2013 photo
by Larry Cultrera

Rumors have abounded for years about the imminent closing of the famous Hilltop Steak House located on U.S. Rte. 1 south in Saugus, Massachusetts. At one time this huge restaurant known for its 68 foot tall saguaro cactus shaped neon sign and herd of fiberglass cows on the front lawn was one of the top grossing restaurants in the country. In its heyday according to a Boston Globe article dated October 11, 2013, the Hilltop served more than 20,000 customers a week and grossed an estimated $27 million a year.

When I was younger I can recall the long lines waiting to get in. In fact I know that I was in those lines a few times over the years. Ironically, Denise and I moved to Saugus 13 years ago this coming December 1st and we actually have not eaten at the restaurant since before we moved from Medford. In recent years due to changing demographics as well as increased competition for the dining dollar, patronage of the restaurant has gone way down.

The first official word of the closing came back on Thursday, October 10th when Saugus town Selectman Steve Castinetti  announced via Facebook that the town officials had received a letter from the management of the Hilltop about the upcoming closing on the 20th of the month (today). Ironically, since the announcement, the lines to get in to the restaurant have increased dramatically with reported wait times of over 3 hours at times!

The Hilltop was opened in 1961 by Frank Giuffrida with seating for 125 patrons. With expansions in the late 1960′s bringing the seating to 1200 with 5 function rooms, it became without a doubt, the largest restaurant in the area with 70,000 sq. ft. A later addition housed the Hilltop Butcher Shop. In 1988, a second smaller location was opened on the Daniel Webster Highway in Nashua, NH which operated until 1997. Another location was opened in 1991 on the South Shore in Braintree, ironically in a former Valle’s Steak House. This location closed in 2007. There was also a short-lived outlet in Hartford, CT (1992-93). The restaurant was sold to High Country Investor Inc. in October of 1994 and Frank Giuffrida passed away in 2003.

On Monday the 14th, I decided to get some final shots of the place while it was still in operation. The morning light was perfect after an early fog had lifted and as you can see, the photos are among the best I have ever shot….

Photo taken from the corner of the parking lot, October 14, 2013 by
Larry Cultrera

The fiberglass herd of cows on the front lawn. October 14, 2013 photo by
Larry Cultrera

The herd of cows from the opposite view, October 14, 2013 photo by
Larry Cultrera

The front of the restaurant looking south. October 14, 2013 photo by
Larry Cultrera

The famous sign from a different angle. October 14, 2013 photo by
Larry Cultrera

The Hilltop Butcher shop had been reportedly closed a few months ago, but a second Butcher Shop location in Weymouth, Massachusetts is to remain open. It is not known what will happen to the iconic sign and herd of steers, although rumors have said that the sign has been sold (I’ll believe it when I see it). I for one would love to see someplace like the American Sign Museum of Cincinnati, Ohio get this artifact  http://www.signmuseum.org/ .

Well, October 31st has rolled around again and this means I get to look back and remember that 6 years ago today the Diner Hotline Weblog was launched! As I have said in my “About” page, this blog was the continuation of my long-running column in the Society for Commercial Archeology’s Journal magazine. The column had debuted in the Spring 1988 edition of the SCA NewsJournal and within a few years I opted to have the column in the  SCA Journal instead of the SCA News when the entity was split into 2 separate publications. I wrote it until the summer of 2007 and Diner Hotline Weblog came about almost 3 months later at the urging of Brian Butko.

Diner Hotline “Euro” decal

In the intervening 6 years, I am very proud of the posts I have written although I would like to write more frequent posts. Anyway The most popular post by far was the Abandoned Luncheonette post I did back in 2010 , co-written by Matt Simmons. I am also proud that writing this blog has lead to my authoring the book Classic Diners of Massachusetts (2011, The History Press) and now I am starting on a new book for the same publisher, New Hampshire Diners: Classic Granite State Eateries due out in the Fall of 2014. So, I want to thank all the my faithful readers/followers and fellow roadtrippers for coming along for the ride so far!

Red Line Diner, now located in Brighton, Mass.
October 26, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera
Formerly the Englewood Diner of Dorchester, Mass.

I have been a little remiss in posting anything throughout November as I was scanning a bunch of slides, 180 or so (to be sort of exact). They were all of the photos/slides I had ever shot of Rosie’s Diner when it was in Little Ferry, NJ. The bulk of the slides came from the last weekend of operation in January of 1990 and the preparation for moving the structure on the next weekend. I had promised my friend Arnie Corrado (son of former owner Ralph Corrado, Jr.) back then that I would give him copies of all the photos I had shot. This plan sort of became cost restrictive when I realized how many images there were. Well, with all the new digital technology at my disposal nowadays, I could finally keep my promise. So for almost 3 weeks, I spent the extra time I had scanning all the images. Better late than never! I actually turned it into a slide show movie which can be found on Youtube……… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XlDiGzRM3I. I will eventually do a post about it here in the near future. Now on to the subject of this post……

A year ago Denise and I had made a trip (along with Beth Lennon and Cliff Hillis) up to Salisbury, Massachusetts to meet with Roger Elkus and Daryl McGann who had purchased the former Monarch Diner, originally of Dover, NH. The diner had not been in service since the early 1970s when it last operated in South Berwick, Maine. Dave Pritchard of Salisbury had started buying old diners a number of years ago and storing them at his truck/trailer company yard in Salisbury. The diners included the Miss Newport Diner of Newport, VT (now the Miss Mendon of Mendon, Mass.) the Englewood Diner last operated in Dorchester, Mass., and the Olympian Diner formerly of Braintree, Mass. as well as the Monarch. When we got into the yard I noticed the only diners left were the Monarch and the Olympian. I asked Roger and Daryl what happened to the Englewood and they told me that the owner of New Balance Footwear had purchased it and moved it to an undisclosed location.

Fast forward to October 25, 2013, when I received an email from Randy Garbin that had some attached photos from someone named Todd Purple. The message that accompanied the photos was short and sweet….. “Did you know about this”? I checked out the photos and low and behold, there was the former Englewood Diner looking to be completely restored on the exterior, sporting a new name….. Red Line! According to the email, it was located down behind 38 Everett Street in the Brighton section of Boston. Everett St. runs between Western Ave. in Allston and North Beacon St. in Brighton. The area was once primarily a mix of houses and somewhat run-down industrial buildings that has had a rebirth with parts of it being resurrected as an upscale office park. In fact a huge part of this rebirth can be directly attributed to New Balance Footwear as their Headquarters is located within a block of this property.

So, the 25th being a Friday, I decided to take a ride over to Brighton to check out this new location the very next day, where I managed to shoot some nice photos of it.

Red Line Diner, Brighton, Mass.
October 26, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Red Line Diner, Brighton, Mass.
October 26, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Red Line Diner, Brighton, Mass.
October 26, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Red Line Diner, Brighton, Mass.
October 26, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Red Line Diner, Brighton, Mass.
October 26, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

In looking closely at the exterior, the new steel panels seem to be painted instead of the porcelain enameled panels it originally had. Certainly a reasonable facsimile of the originals… and let me be clear, this was professionally done. Even the roof shingles look similar though not identical to what had previously been there, giving it a period look in keeping with the original style of the diner. The interior did not need much as the following photos show….

Interior view of the Red Line Diner, Brighton, Mass.
October 26, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Interior view of the Red Line Diner, Brighton, Mass.
October 26, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Interior view of the Red Line Diner, Brighton, Mass.
October 26, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Interior view of the Red Line Diner, Brighton, Mass.
October 26, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Early on the next week I did some digging and was able to leave a message to a department in the corporate offices at New Balance Footwear. Within a couple of hours my wife Denise called to let me know there was a message from someone named Laurie at New Balance. When I returned her call, Laurie informed me that the restored diner is being used for corporate functions only and not open to the public (as I suspected).

As I mentioned above, the Englewood Diner operated for years in the Peabody Square neighborhood of Dorchester. It closed in 1979 when the land it was on was slated to be redeveloped, replaced by a high-rise building for senior housing. This was almost a year before I started photographing diners so I never was able to document it in that location.  The diner was moved at that time to Pat’s Towing Company yard in the Cambridgeport neighborhood, just outside of Central Square in Cambridge. It stayed at that storage location through 1981.

My first shot of the Englewood Diner taken from the roof of my 1979 Chevy van looking over the fence of Pat’s Towing Company in Cambridge.
1981 photo by Larry Cultrera

In fact, Dick and Kelly Gutman were the ones who showed me where it was being stored on one of our first “Diner Excursions” in 1981 where I obtained the photo above. It was relocated to the Cambridge/Somerville town line in a yard maintained by Wayside Leasing on Park Street just off Somerville Avenue, where it stayed until 1984.

Englewood Diner at Wayside Leasing storage yard in Somerville
1982 photo by Larry Cultrera

Englewood Diner at Wayside Leasing storage yard in Somerville
1982 photo by Larry Cultrera

Englewood Diner at Wayside Leasing storage yard in Somerville
1982 photo by Larry Cultrera

In 1984, the diner was bought by Brian Burke, a general contractor from Dorchester. His plan was to repatriate the diner back to its longtime hometown. He had some property adjacent to the Bradlees department store that was on Morrissey Boulevard at the corner of Victory Road. Burke took his time in setting up the diner and finally opened it in 1986. It was operated by at least two if not three operators prior to closing in the early 1990s.

Englewood Diner temporarily parked at Kendall Square in Cambridge
on the way back to Dorchester. 1984 photo by Larry Cultrera

Englewood Diner temporarily parked at Kendall Square in Cambridge
on the way back to Dorchester. 1984 photo by Larry Cultrera

The Englewood Diner newly arrived at Victory Road in Dorchester.
1984 photo by Larry Cultrera

The Englewood Diner at its last operating location. It operated here from 1986 to 1992.
1984 photo by Larry Cultrera

In 1992, the Englewood was closed and sold at auction to Dennis “Skip” Scipione, owner of the Blue Moon Diner in Gardner. Skip had plans to reopen the diner and kept it in storage in neighboring Ashburnham, Mass. until the right time and place came about.  It looked like it would happen in 1997 when the diner moved to the northern part of Fitchburg. The next 3 photos show the diner at that proposed location….

Englewood Diner at proposed location in Fitchburg.1997 photo by Larry Cultrera

Englewood Diner at proposed location in Fitchburg.
1997 photo by Larry Cultrera

Englewood Diner at proposed location in Fitchburg.
1997 photo by Larry Cultrera

This location in Fitchburg never actually came to fruition and the diner embarked on a series of moves to at least two if not three different storage locations over the next few years. In fact Skip finally sold the diner to Dan Johnston in the year 2000. Johnston purchased it for $20,000, moved the diner to the town of Holden.  Johnston’s plans for the diner were somewhat vague. In one instance he talked about reopening it and another was possibly attaching it to his house for private use. None of that ever happened and in fact, according to Randy Garbin of Roadside Online, Johnston even had the diner listed on Ebay for a short time.

While in Johnston’s possession, the diner ended up taking its longest round trip to be in a big budget Hollywood movie! Johnston was approached by Dreamworks Production Company in 2001. Dreamworks wanted to use the diner in a scene of the movie “Road to Perdition” starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. According to Garbin as quoted from his book Diners of New England, Dreamworks reportedly paid Johnston nearly $40,000 giving Johnston the first option to purchase it back after the scenes in the movie were completed.

The diner was transported to the Chicago area for the film and Johnston bought it back for less than half his original sale price. As Garbin noted the time-frame of the film was set in 1931 while purists would note that the diner is from 1941…… details, details!!!

Publicity still showing the Englewood Diner during its star turn
from the Hollywood production of Road to Perdition.
photo courtesy of http://film-grab.com/tag/daniel-craig/

A few months after Johnston got the diner back he flipped it yet again to Matt Letellier of Eliot, Maine whose plan was to attach the diner to his on-site built Downeast Diner. The next 3 photos show the Englewood in Eliot, ME….

Englewood Diner in Eliot, Maine. 2002 photo by Larry Cultrera

Englewood Diner in Eliot, Maine. 2002 photo by Larry Cultrera

Englewood Diner in Eliot, Maine. 2002 photo by Larry Cultrera

Unfortunately, Letellier’s plans never came to be and he turned around and sold the diner to Dave Pritchard in 2003. That is when the Englewood came to Salisbury where it stayed until 2012 and ultimately purchased by New Balance Footwear.

I will say that although this diner has had an interesting life in the last 35 years, it can also be said that it probably has the most mileage, being one of the most traveled diners in history! Now that it has found more than likely a permanent home in Brighton, as well as a new lease on life…. it is almost like an old racehorse being put out to pasture in its golden years!

Original Placemat for the Monarch Diner of Dover, NH
Roger Elkus and Daryl McGann will be reopening the diner soon as
Roger’s Redliner Diner in Portsmouth, NH possibly in January

Ironically after writing about the former Englewood Diner being resurrected and renamed the Red Line Diner, I get to write about the former Monarch Diner being renamed Roger’s Redliner Diner. Roger Elkus and his General Manager Daryl McGann operate a chain of bakery/cafes called Me & Ollie’s in the seacoast area of the Granite state. As written here previously, they purchased the former Monarch Diner from Dave Pritchard of Salisbury, Mass. a little over a year ago and are presently working feverishly to set the diner up on a pad site in the Southgate Shopping Center on U.S. Rte. 1, next door to Water Country water park in Portsmouth, NH. The irony is that both of these diners have
Red Line” in their name and both were bought from Mr. Pritchard. Roger and Daryl are shooting for a January, 2014 opening. In the meantime, they have initiated a Kickstarter campaign for some additional funding. The Kickstarter gives people a chance to pledge money toward the restoration in exchange for meal vouchers….. I.E.: Breakfast Delight, Burh=ger Delight, Blue Plate Diner Delight, etc as well as Roger Redliner Diner  T-Shirts and more! The Kickstarter Program runs until December 22nd, with a goal of $50,000. Here is a link to the website…….  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1385095784/vintage-1950s-diner-restoration-rogers-redliner-di

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 72,000 times in 2013. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 3 days for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

The Salem Diner, July 29, 2013 photo by Larry Cultrera

Salem State University reopened the Salem Diner in mid-January. It is being operated by the schools food service provider, Chartwells. The management of Chartwells stated that this is the first “Diner” they have attempted to run. I had gotten a heads-up from my friend Kristen Nyberg (North Shore Dish blog) who visited the diner on opening day with Diane Wolf who is the co-owner with her husband Lee of The Lobster Shanty in downtown Salem.

Kristen told me things were kind of rough that first day, service was friendly but over-all very slow. The food was unremarkable as well which sounded like a let-down from the quality of food and service under the previous owners, George & Zoe Elefteriadis. The Elefteriadis’ sold the diner to the University back at the beginning of July and the diner has been closed until now.  Kristen basically said that people may want to give the place a month or so to get into the rhythm of serving people in a diner-like environment.

We stopped by on January 18th to check it out ourselves and knew what to expect from Kristen’s info. I was happy to see that the school spent some money to replace exterior and interior lighting. The interior was freshened up with a thorough cleaning and the woodwork was re-stained as well. We met with our old friend Saadia Zraizaa who is a veteran of the local diner scene. She was hired as one of the waitresses by Chartwells and certainly a plus for the diner. She introduced us to Jim, one of the managers who was very cordial to us as well.

The service was a little rocky as we observed that the cooks, who may have been experienced, were not up to the level of short-order service that a good diner should have, in my opinion. They might have been better off having Saadia doing the cooking as she knows what the rhythm should be having actually operated her own place, the Medford Square Diner for a short period a couple of years ago.

We will get back to the diner soon and hope that things have smoothed out with the new management and crew as I really want to see this diner survive and thrive!

Central Diner, Millbury, Mass. Photo by Larry Cultrera

Line-art I created for the Central Diner coffee mug for Richard & Brigid Gore back in the 1990s based on the above photo.

The Central Diner of Millbury, Mass. closed at the end of December, leaving the future of this 1930 vintage Worcester Lunch Car in doubt. Operated by Chris and Amanda White for at least 10 years. Though capable, the White’s were not the friendliest operators I have come across. It was like night and day between them and the previous owners, Richard an Brigid Gore who were very friendly and personable. The diner itself is sitting on land leased from the Millbury National Bank. I recently saw an ad on Craigslist for the diner offering it for sale.

Central Diner, Millbury, Mass. Photo by Larry Cultrera

Denise and I drove out for one last breakfast on Saturday, December 28th where we met up with Bob Higgins. There were only 4 customers that early in the morning besides Chris and Amanda. Most of the conversation was between Bob and myself. Very somber mood, in fact the place looked almost closed from the outside. Certainly the future does not look too bright at the moment for this diner. I hope things will turn out good and the diner can survive, even if it has to move.