Tastee Diner, Laurel, Maryland. 2014 photo by Glenn Wells
On November 10, 2018, Spencer Stewart broke the news to the diner community that big changes were in store for the Tastee Diner in Laurel, Maryland. This rare Comac diner, one of only two operating, would be gutted, covered with a new facade, and converted to a medical marijuana dispensary. The bad news spread throughout the diner community, and a “Save the diner” movement was not far behind. Supporters of the diner were granted a major victory December 11 when the Laurel Planning Commission voted unanimously against granting the permit the dispensary would need.
The Washington Post reported, ” After the vote, supporters went to the diner for celebratory beers and grilled cheese sandwiches. There were high-fives, hugs and smiles. ”
But that same article contained another ominous quote, one that casts doubt on the diner’s future. Gene Wilkes, who has owned the diner since the 1970s and operates two other Tastee Diners in Bethesda and Silver Spring, indicated it was time to cut back and the Laurel diner might not have a future.
“I’m 75,” he said. “Everything ends.”
Everything ends. A simple truth of life, if not always a happy one.
I then looked back over all the roadside news from the past year posted on the RoadsideFans Facebook page and noticed a large number of endings for the year:
The Ben Franklin variety store in Middlebury, VT closed last summer. Once a staple of every downtown, the classic five and dime can now only be found in isolated, independently run stores, such as Sine’s 5 & 10 in Quakertown, PA or the Northville 5 & 10 in Northville, NY.
Ben Franklin, Middlebury, Vermont 2012 photo by Glenn Wells
Lombardo’s Restaurant in Albany, NY, after operating nearly a century, served its last Italian dinner New Year’s Eve. Its vintage multi-story neon sign is certain to attract the notice of collectors, but the interior, as Albany resident and longtime RoadsideFan Eric Stott notes, is “a flawless piece from the tin ceiling with deco light fixtures, down to the murals and booths, to the tiled floor. The stained glass beer signs in the window must be worth a small fortune. The whole space should be in the state museum as a prime example of an early 20th Century Italian restaurant. A New York City decorator would pay a fortune to recreate the ambience.”
O’s Eatery along the Taconic Parkway in Chatham, NY was destroyed by fire December 8. This was a 1963 Fodero, the third of the four Chief Taghkanic diners installed along the Parkway by Burt Coons. Its Space Age styling with Western style wagon wheel light fixtures overhead represented an era in diner style never to be seen again.
All that remains of O’s Eatery. Photo by Bob Butler
Fat Boy Drive-In in Brunswick, Maine is for sale. Just down the road from the vintage Ernie’s Drive-In (now Cameron’s Lobster House), two operating carhop drive-ins so close together were a delight to see on our visit in 1999.
Ye Olde College Diner in State College, PA has closed and will be replaced with Hello Bistro, operated by the Eat N Park chain. This will upset generations of Penn State alumni, but indications are today’s young people don’t go to diners the way their parents and grandparents did.
ChesDel Restaurant in Middletown, Delaware, two vintage diners joined in an L shape, closed last February. What started as a temporary closure to repair a water heater soon became permanent and the equipment was auctioned in May.
ChesDel Restaurant 2017 photo by Glenn Wells
Potato City Motor Inn, a 1949 Streamline Moderne structure featured in Rick Sebak’s “Pennsylvania Diners and Other Roadside Restaurants,” was demolished.
Water Slide World in Lake George, NY, a family run water park, did not open due to the death of his owner, who was the only person holding the necessary certifications. His widow originally planned to reopen, but soon enough its parcel was advertised as “12 Prime Commercial Acres for Re-Development.”
In New Jersey, the Egg Platter Diner in Paterson (Master) and the Circus Drive-In in Wall were both demolished.
Egg Platter Diner 2016 photo by Glenn Wells
Bowl O Mat in Beverly, MA, a candlepin bowling center, closed and its contents were sold – right down to the hardwood lanes.
Rising property values forced out more diners in the New York City area, including the Shalimar Diner in Rego Park and the Flagship Diner in Queens. Goodfellas Diner in Queens closed after a fire last June, and while the DeRaffele diner is still there, it’s boarded up.
Yankee Diner in Charlton, MA is “Permanently Closed” according to Google, but at least while this vintage Worcester Lunch Car remains in place, there’s hope someone will reopen it.
The moral of this story: Get out and visit, patronize, and photograph vintage places while they are still around. Everything ends.
