Gleaming stainless steel diners! Like the Burma-Shave signs that dotted the highways, old tyme diners have all but disappeared.

What was a Diner? The steel diner was built in a factory, and shipped, sometimes intact, sometimes as a pre-fab to be assembled on site. It had a counter, with stools, and a grill. Some also had booths.

A Diner did not have tablecloths, did not take reservations, or require that jackets be worn.

The diner began as a mobile lunch wagon in Providence, Rhode Island around 1872.
By the 1920's, diners grew, and included booths to accommodate women, who disliked sitting on the stools.

The success of the early converted wagons inspired a few individuals to form companies and manufacture lunch wagons for sale. These improved wagons allowed customers to stand inside,protected from inclement weather or sit on stools at counters. Night lunch wagons or "Nite Owls" began to appear in many New England towns and cities during the late1800's.

Some models were elaborate and were fitted with stained and etched glass windows, intricately painted murals and fancy woodwork. The lunch wagons became very popular because workers and pedestrians could purchase inexpensive meals during the day but especially at night when most restaurants closed by 8:00 pm.

A permanent home for the American Diner Museum is being established in Providence, Rhode Island to celebrate the culture and preserve the colorful history of this unique American institution. The Museum will be a tribute to the individuals who built, operated and worked in the diners and to those who continue the diner tradition into the 21st century.