Mahony Diners

I recently bought this matchbook from the estate of John L. Cronk.
Mahony was a short lived diner company, formed from the remains of O’Mahony.

This matchbook’s interesting in that it advertises not only the Mahony diner company and their Mahony Diner – Motel Center, but also the diner trade journal, Fountain Luncheonette and diner magazine of Rahway, NJ. The inside of the matchbook discusses the virtues of matchbooks as a form of diner advertising.
My other Mahony ephemera.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

A Mahony Diner tag, made for a diner that was never built.
Photobucket

Unfortunately, other than its short lifespan and its relation to O’Mahony, I can’t seem to find all that much on the company. I’d love to know more.

Pip’s Diner – Pittsburgh, PA

We visited Pip’s on the same trip, and after a few wrong turns and a little unplanned exploring, finally found it. It’s an interesting location, on a small road, directly under a bridge, across from some old industrial buildings. It has been remodeled inside and out, the exterior now covered with stone, and some of the windows filled in.

Pip’s is a ’20s model, of indeterminate manufacture, possibly Tierney, possibly O’Mahony, it’s difficult to say. It feels more like a social club than a diner, in that we were the only people in the place who were not regulars. Most times there is at least someone else who is either passing through, or a local who occasionally drops by. Not here, at least during out stay. Food was good, and cooked up on the grill behind the counter. We, unfortunately, missed the last of the hamburgers, we were told they were out of meat when we ordered, though while we waited for our food, the last couple patties were cooked up for regulars who came in several minutes after we got our food. I had the chili.

Photobucket

Photobucket

An ad for a Tierney diner of the period, similar to what Pip’s would have looked like when new.
Photobucket

Here’s the copy, which I typed up from my copy of that ad. Gives you a look into what was being pitched when the diner was new.
—————————-

No matter what your present occupation, or where you are located- if you have been seeking YOUR opportunity; if you have been anxious to get into business for yourself- to be your own Boss- or if you are in business and dissatisfied with its results; if you want to make more money than you ever made in your life- if you are willing to work and win success- then a Tierney diner is YOUR opportunity. It’s a clean, respectable PROFITABLE business for YOU- Every day in the year!

You would be one of the most independent men in your community. Your money would be turned over quickly. 30% – 40% of each days receipts would be your NET profit! You would have a strictly cash business. No bad accounts. No collections to make

The Dining Car business is spreading fast. Men like yourself, and with no more experience at the start, are getting rich in it. You can do it, too!

A Total capital of $3000 – will set you up in this business- provide the first payment on your car and leave enough to install it on location, open it up and start your daily receipts coming in- and many successful operators have done it on less.

YOU CAN START
The Dining Car Business in your own town.

The Tierney Real Estate Department checks up your location, or obtains one for you, thus assuring a proper business building location for your car.

We train you for success, just as we have trained hundreds of other operators of Tierney Diners.

You can take advantage of our Training School, if you desire.

Tierney service helps you in all details of operation, providing reliable and experienced chefs, and other employees, if desired, and supervises and guides your management, if needed, until you are sufficiently experienced to assure success by yourself.

no Tierney Dining Car located and operated in accordance with Tierney Service and Instruction need ever fail, for when you purchase a Tierney Diner you get back of you thirty years of successful experience in this business.

Tierney Service makes Monthly Payment Plan possible. The Lunch Car business is essentially a worker’s business. It has not been built up by capitalists, although it has created capital for its operators- but has won out through the energy and close attention to business of men who with a small amount of money to start with have followed up that moderate capital with an unlimited supply of conscientious, faithful work. That is what makes the Lunch Car business such a sound, dependable business to be engaged in; it is built on foundations of individual industry and common honesty.

“Fully ninety-five per cent of the hundreds who have won success and independence in this business have started with very little money, so the plan had to be devised to help these men get there cars as well as stand by them until they had made a success of the business. In other words, after you have made your first payment down, the car will pay the balance.”

Wherever you see a Tierney dining car you will find a man who is making money.

This portable restaurant is delivered on its own wheels to its permanent location, where connections are made for water, sewer, gas or electricity

Just the Way they look inside: Tiled floors and walls, stool porcelain, oak tops with nickel rim, counters marble or black walnut. Back of counter complete kitchen, tiled ice box, equipped with most modern type of range, short order stove; steam table, nickeled coffee urns, hot water heater. The last word in brightness and cleanliness.

If YOU owned a Tierney Dining Car like this, $5000 to $10000 should be your YEARLY PROFITS

Gatto Cycle Diner – Tarentum, PA

I visited this one the same day as Peppi’s, on a diner run up to Pittsburgh.  We hit it a little before the chili, which they are famous for, was ready, unfortunately, but the same day that it got a large spread in the local newspaper.

The Gatto Cycle Diner was built in 1949 by the Jerry O’Mahony Company. It is the same model as the Tastee Diner in Silver Spring, and like the Tastee, the original, matching factory kitchen, visible in the pictures of it as Digger’s, is no longer in existence. It is now attached to a Harley Davidson dealership, and is really secondary to the motorcycle shop.

It was abandoned for some time, and was in fairly poor shape by the time it was moved to Tarentum. Though it is obvious, at least to experienced eyes, that a good deal of the diner has been remodeled, it isn’t overblown, and looks essentially the part.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Here is the diner as it was in its original location, in Butler, PA as Digger’s Diner.

Photobucket
Photo Courtesy of TheAmericanRoadside

Photobucket
Photo courtesy of TheAmericanRoadside

And as it was between locations.
Photobucket

Tastee Diner, Silver Spring, Maryland

This one is the first diner I remember going to, back when I was four or five. When it was moved on July 17, 2000, I was there. I was there when it re-opened at its new location, two blocks away from the old one. Prior to their move, it had that wonderful homey diner feel; small, old. When they moved it, the original factory kitchen was left at the original site, and demolished with the dining room addition, to make way for the new Discovery Channel headquarters. It was cleaned, and re-installed down the road and around the corner with a new dining room addition. A new sign was put up. And the diner feeling that’s so present at the two other Tastees is gone.

Here are some pictures of it, spanning its years.

Photobucket
’70s night shot

Photobucket
Old awning with stitched sign and telephone booths

Photobucket
Front shot

Photobucket

Photobucket
The diner, a few years later. Different awning, sign on the front and on the sign, different color scheme.

Photobucket
The diner at its old location and brown color scheme

Today
Photobucket

Photobucket
The diner, dwarfed by the 2000 additions

Photobucket

The cleaned exterior and new neon

Photobucket

The diner is now used as mostly a waiting area for the dining room, and a place for the cash register line to assemble. Most of the booths have been removed to make room for that function.

Tastee Diner, Bethesda, Maryland

While I’m on Tastee diners, and while I still have access to my dad’s slide archive, let’s take a quick look at the Tastee over in Bethesda, an old O’Mahony.

Photobucket
Here’s how it looked back in the early ’80s?, before the roof was added, before the addition was put in, before the building went up behind it, before the sign was taken down.

Photobucket
Here’s what it looks like now. It hasn’t changed much outside since this photo was taken. This photo isn’t mine, but none of mine were from the correct angle to roughly match the old one.

Photobucket
a little closer in.