Bridgeville, Delaware. Taken by my friend Rita Cacas in 1980.
The Bridgeville Diner
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The Hilltop Diner
This postcard sold on eBay back in 2007. After a bit of research at that point, it looked like the diner was still there. But this was pre-blog, pre-facebook, so I made a note of it, burned the ebay image to a disc and pretty well forgot about it. I was going through today looking for barrel roof pics on my external hard drive and found the photo again. Not the best copy of it, unfortunately, but it’s the only one I’ve seen of this PC. The diner is still there, as is the gas station building, located at 3403 Conowingo Road. It looks like the cabins are gone.
Unfortunately it’s not a “real” diner, but you can definitely see the influence.
Nick’s Diner – Wheaton, MD
Nick’s Diner may not be a “true” diner to purists. It’s an on site job, but it has real soul.
I’ve had some trouble finding the origins of Nick’s. It’s been a diner for decades, but whether it was converted from another use is hard to track down. The materials and construction remind me of a ’50s gas station, but the proportions seem way off for that. Across the street from a former HoJo’s, a block down from an A-Frame IHOP and two blocks down from the former Short Stop Diner.
It’s family owned an operated, and the grill is still behind the counter. There’s a bit of a back kitchen, but it looks like most of the cooking is done out front.
Nick’s is set up like an early factory model. Very narrow- mostly stools and a couple tables at the far end. The emphasis is truly on the counter, as it should be. The nearly floor to ceiling glass makes for a nice bright place.
Corned beef hash, scrambled eggs, homefries, toast, coffee. The potatoes and corned beef hash have a perfect crust on them from the griddle.
Stools.
A pic from about a decade back that gives a better view of the entire diner. The parking lot was too jammed today to get a good frontal shot.
Winchester Virginia trip August 2012
Breakfast at Needful Things. This lunch counter was formerly a J.J. Newberry. The building was built in the 1850s and became a Newberry’s five and dime in the ’30s. It looks like the lunch counter dates from around that time, with pieces updated and modernized over the years. I had the sausage gravy on biscuits. Nicely golden brown toasted biscuits, and as much sausage as gravy on top. A great start to the day, and a real step back in time.
It is located at 218 W. Washington Street, Charles Town, WV.
Here’s their website: http://www.needfulthings-website.com/
The Triangle Diner is still undergoing restoration. Since last I visited, lots of work has been done, the biggest visual changes are an addition to the kitchen annex and the re-installation of the restored sign.
See their website here: http://www.mikestrianglediner.com/site/
Just around the corner from the triangle, some old plastic signs. RCA, Zenith, Sylvania.
Cloverleaf. I wonder what the neon on it originally read?
Rock of Ages. A few years back I visited their quarry.
The former Piccadilly Grill. Possibly a replacement for the ’30s O’Mahony diner, the Piccadilly Diner, which would have been located within a door or two. The Grill looks like a ’50s lunch counter in the spirit of White Tower or the Snow White Grill, just down the road. Single row of stools, cooking done behind the counter. It’s now called ‘Just Like Grandma’s’.
It is located at 46 East Piccadilly Street Winchester, VA
The Snow White Grill. I’ve done several other posts on this one, please refer to them for full interior and exterior shots. Built 1949, the Snow White Grill chain originally had locations throughout northern VA, WV, and MD. Today, this is the only one that still bears the Snow White Name. Someday I’ll make it to the other Snow White Grill, today operating as the Blue White, in Martinsburg, VA. It was nice to see the Snow White doing booming business. Every stool was filled, as were all the patio tables, not to mention all the carryout traffic.
The Snow White Grill is located at 159 North Loudoun Street Winchester, VA
Diner Plate
A new addition to the collection. Probably from the ’90s retro / diner craze. Looks like a pretty blatant steal of the diner on the front cover of John Baeder’s book, “Diners”. But nice illustration, and I love the border.
Land’s Restaurant – Knoxville, TN
Another cool old roadside restaurant that’s been lost to the hands of bad renovation. The building is still recognizable, with its stepped roofline, but nearly everything which made it interesting has disappeared.
New Drawings
Little Tavern drawings based off some late ’70s slides John Baeder sent me last week.
Buy ‘Em By The Bag
Little Tavern’s slogan used to be “Buy ‘Em By The Bag”.
I did, and I brought them back to the studio for some product shots. Mug is ’50s vintage.
The burgers came from the Laurel Tavern, formerly the Laurel location of the Little Tavern. They tracked down the original burger recipe and are still selling them, along with some really good fresh donuts. If you miss Little Tavern, take the trip, you won’t be disappointed. The building has lost its paneling, its neon and its interior, but they still deliver in the food department.
Laurel Tavern Donuts
115 Washington Boulevard Laurel, MD 20707
July 2012 Pennsylvania Diner Trip
The Prospect Diner has become our go to breakfast stop ever since it was taken over by Mike Conroy. It has become everything a diner should be. It’s a classic mid 1950s Kullman, a model transitioning into the space age. I think my first stop there was when I was about five years old, so you could say it’s been a tradition for a while. Every time we’ve been in, the diner is full of locals- always a good sign. The food is good, plentiful and inexpensive. I had chicken and biscuits, topped with sausage gravy. Side of (perfectly done) home fries, and coffee which, thanks to expert waitressing, never dipped beyond half empty.
We traveled on from Columbia to Lancaster, passing the Columbia Diner, at 1725 Columbia Ave Lancaster, PA. It’s a remodeled ’50s Kullman, known as the Wheatland Diner from 1955 to 1973.
Directly next door to the Columbia diner is this old McDonalds golden arch.
A Frame. Bright’s Restaurant.
Highlights of Ephrata, PA
The main event, a meet up with Michael Engle and Glenn Wells at the Cloister Diner. The Cloister is a 1952 Silk City. It was remodeled in the 1960s. The end wall was removed to open the diner up to a dining room addition. The tile in the addition flows very nicely from the diner itself. Panels from the end wall were moved to replace the front door, which was also removed in the remodel. The original neon was kept on the roof during the remodeling, really the only hint from the exterior of what lies inside.
We were lucky enough to chat with the truly inspiring Elva Stauffer, the owner of the diner since 1972.
Fresh homemade peach pie. It’s as good as it looks, believe me.
With Glenn and Michael.
Lunch and a Cadillac
I just got the original print of this one in. I love the image.
Diner Hunter 