A Brief History of the American Diner’s Everlasting Charm

By Theodorus Ng

The pandemic has undeniably and indefinitely put a pause on all travel activities, including plans for American families to return home. The occasional homesickness can indeed be difficult to bear. However, in globalized, multicultural Singapore, you can certainly find familiar and comforting elements of America that will make your hometown feel a bit less distant.

Food arguably possesses the strongest ability to remind us of home – not only for appealing to our gustatory senses which then evoke fond emotions and memories, but also because cuisine is so inextricably connected with culture and heritage. The American cuisine is difficult to define – really, it is an amalgamation of many cultures introduced by immigrants and the indigenous. But it is this very diverse history that makes the American cuisine greater than the sum of its parts and reflects a multicultural ideal similar to Singapore’s. This unique magic resides most prominently in American diners.

The Art Deco exterior, complete with resplendent neon sign trim, draws you in to absolute familiarity. The tiled floors, a long Formica counter lined with high seats on one side and diligent cooks on the other, working the griddle; booths waited on by gregarious staff chatting with diners over the tunes of the jukebox; and the distinct aroma of sputtering bacon mixing with Bunn-O-Matic coffee.

This is the quintessential American experience. Grab a cup of joe and enjoy this exposition on the American Diner.

The Evolution of Diners

The diner’s inception can be traced back to 1872, when Walter Scott sold food out of a horse-pulled wagon to blue-collar workers in Providence, Rhode Island. This was more like the food trucks we see today, as food was served through windows and patrons stood on the street to eat. His idea gained traction because it was affordable and convenient as it remained open late into the night. Yet, the decrepit state of boxcars, and the disreputable patronage the late hours attracted, led to bans in New York and Atlantic City.

It was not until the 1920s, when diners received a complete refashioning as well as their name (owing to their resemblance to railroad dining cars). Patrick Tierney began industrially manufacturing such eateries with a focus on utility. The form typically resembled a railcar streamlined and narrow enough so the diner could be transported by rail, barge, and truck, from the factory to the place of operation. It was also retrofitted with an efficient workflow of grills, steam tables, coffee urns, blenders, drink dispensers, and display cases. Within the beautified and expanded interior, indoor seating was made possible by the counter from which patrons could see their meals being prepared from stove to countertop.

Diners survived through the Great Depression thanks to the inexpensive meal options they offered. And in the postwar boom, they were a lucrative small business opportunity. Diners took off across the nation, beyond their original urban cities to highway strips in the suburbs that served weary travelers who required a pit stop.

The Appeal

Accessibility

The practical purpose of diner food has stayed relatively constant since its inception – to provide affordable and quickly-served comfort food. Prepandemic, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 44% of all food spending was on food away from home, and the average meal outside cost $12.75. At a more traditional diner, you can most definitely fetch a meal and a drink for under $10 and enjoy the variety of options from all-day breakfast to lunch to dinner to dessert! Diners aren’t as common as they once were, but they are still an American Favorite.

Familiarity

Many say that a diner is like a home away from home. The dishes are home-cooked recipes that could have been passed on for generations, prosaic classics that any American would have grown up eating. Flavors and aromas trigger nostalgic emotions and that homely sense of warmth. They call it comfort food for a reason.

Then, the “counter culture” engendered by casual discourse between the patrons and hospitable cooks and servers gives the diner a convivial environment that is always welcoming. This is probably best encapsulated within Norman Rockwell’s cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post in 1958, titled The Runaway. It shows a young scamp on the lam from home who runs into a couple of strangers in a diner. In any other context it would be threatening, but the intentional setting of a diner is anything but sinister. The cook as a compassionate host and the kind cop who probably treats him to a slice of pie and a ride home in his squad car after, solidifies the familial and communal nature of the dinner. Such a trait of diners also finds footing in pop culture, notably the movie After Hours, which portrayed the idea that, in diners, one can talk to strangers on a whim without fear of judgment.

The Runaway

Norman Rockwell

Cultural Touchstone

The diner is a physical embodiment of America’s grand ideals. According to Richard Gutman, avid diner historian, diners were built by Italian tilesetters and marble-workers, German sheet metal workers, and French-Canadian carpenters. Where form follows function, this melting pot of cultures behind constructing something uniquely American symbolizes the diaspora of cultures that coexist, underpinning the American identity.

In egalitarian terms, diners are bastions of democracy. In a 1932 article in World’s Work, it is noted that diners host “actors, milkmen, chauffeurs, debutantes, nymphs du pavé, young men-about-town, teamsters, students, streetcar motormen, policemen, white wings, businessmen – all these and more rub elbows at its counter.” This emblematic destruction of classist social mores for an ideal equality is further reinforced by the very resulting characters of democracy itself. It seems that no US election campaign is complete without a stop at a diner to emphasize the candidate’s everyman or everywoman credentials.

More uniquely, the American duality is portrayed in diners. Edward Hopper’s iconic Nighthawks is commonly thought to depict loneliness, but from another perspective, it could represent the enjoyment of a meal in stoic solitude or the propensity for an unexpected conversation. The diner represents the prized individual as part of a larger community.

Nighthawks

Edward Hopper

During the post-war Golden Age, the popularity of diners peaked, and further gained footing internationally as a globalized American icon. Alan Hess, an American architect, frames the diner as a post-war mirage where most countries, sorting through the debris of war, looked to the optimism of American business for hope. It was not long before other countries had their own renditions of diners, or at least certain elements of them, inspired by the original aesthetic of the space and style of the food, in hopes of capturing the fun, freedom, and nostalgia evoked by that era.

The undeniable cultural significance of the American diner has made it almost like a time capsule of a captivating era and a glorious age, enshrined on the global stage. It is the very fact that the diner turns a prosaic and transient meal into a lasting memory, regardless of whoever walks in, that has enabled diners to stand the test of time against cookie-cutter, cut-and-dried fast-food chains that directly compete as a close substitute. It is this very magic that makes it universal and accessible by other cultures worldwide.

Iconic Diners in the US

Summit Diner (Summit, NJ)

Photo courtesy of Summit Diner

Diners are a staple to the Jersey life. At one point, nearly 95% of diners were manufactured in the state. The Summit Diner was opened in 1929, the first ever railcar style diner in America! Rebuilt in 1938 but still open today, it is most famous for its “Slider” sandwich – a classic pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich. Ernest Hemingway and Jim Cramer were both said to patronize the place.

Tom’s Restaurant (New York, NY)

Photo by Christophe Gevrey

This is the very place Suzanne Vega wrote her eponymous hit song Tom’s Diner while “waiting at the counter for the man to pour the coffee.” They are known for hearty lumberjack breakfasts, Greek salads, and classic turkey wraps.

Blue Benn Diner (Bennington, VT)

Photo by Kent Kanouse

The diner’s motto is, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” which speaks to the retention of many elements from the past. They serve signature omelets with a myriad of customizations to satisfy anyone’s palate!

American-Inspired Diners in Singapore

OverEasy (Fullerton Bay)

Photo by OverEasy

Of course, the place derived its name from the popular method of preparing eggs in American diners. Immediately, the interior, a modern reinterpretation imbued mainly with Streamline Moderne sensibilities, is as inviting as the presentation of the food that follows. Though the meals aren’t as inexpensive as diner tradition promises, they are definitely worth the buck for a nostalgic dining experience and for the ‘Gram. Signature dishes include the their beer can chicken, and their truffled lobster mac & cheese.

Broadway American Diner (The Capitol Kempinski)

Photo by Broadway American Diner

Snuggle up in one of their plush vinyl booths as you indulge in their impressive barbecue beef burger, starring a housemade patty and fresh-baked, chemicalfree buns. You can’t go wrong with a milkshake on the side!

Joji’s Diner (Upper Serangoon)

Photo by Joji’s Diner

From the neon signage to the trompel’œil frontage, to the mustard yellowflaming red palette, not to mention, the jukebox and the gumball machine beside it, this place screams American diner all right! And even better, in true diner tradition, it serves up relatively affordable meals, with plenty of choices under S$12.90!