Collin's Diner, North Canaan, Connecticut, USA 2013

The Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company of

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

, was a manufacturer of roadside

diners A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

from 1917 to 1952. The company produced some 2,000 of the long, narrow, primarily metal buildings, perhaps more than any other firm. Prefabricated in a factory and trucked to their locations, the diners resemble and are often confused with railroad

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...

. The company's motto was "In our line, we lead the world".

History

Jerry O'Mahony (1890–1969) of

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, is credited by some to have made the first "diner". In 1912, the first lunch wagon built by Jerry and Daniel O'Mahoney and John Hanf was bought for $800 by restaurant entrepreneur Michael Griffin and operated at Transfer Station in

Hudson County, New Jersey Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in t ...

. The wagon helped spark New Jersey's golden age of diner manufacturing, which in turn made the state the diner capital of the world. It is estimated that only "about 20" remain in the United States as of 2022.

Examples

United States

* ''Miss Wakefield'', originally ''Pat & Bob's'' in Albany, New York, is the northernmost O'Mahony Diner in the United States. It was built in 1949, rescued from a junkyard there, and trucked to a new home in

Sanbornville, New Hampshire Sanbornville is a census-designated place (CDP) and the primary village in the town of Wakefield, Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. It had a population of 963 at the 2020 census. Geography Sanbornville is in the southwestern part of t ...

. * ''

Summit Diner Summit Diner is a diner built in the late thirties located in Summit, New Jersey. The business opened in 1929. The original building was replaced with the current building constructed by the Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company in 1938. Food writer, Peter ...

'', a 1938 model, is in

Summit, New Jersey Summit is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city is located on a ridge in northern- central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. At the 2010 United Sta ...

. * ''Hillsville Diner'' in

Carroll County, Virginia Carroll County is a United States county located in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Roughly one fifth of the county lies in the Virginia Piedmont region, while the rest is part of the Appalachian Mountains. The count ...

is believed to be the oldest Southern diner (non–stainless-steel style). * ''Triangle Diner'', a 1948 stainless steel O'Mahony original model, is in the old town of

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...

. The oldest stainless-steel-style O'Mahony diner in Virginia, it is being restored to its original appearance. * ''Tommy's Deluxe Diner'' was moved in 2007 from

Middletown, Rhode Island Middletown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,075 at the 2020 census. It lies to the south of Portsmouth and to the north of Newport on Aquidneck Island, hence the name "Middletown". History Vari ...

, to

Oakley, Utah Oakley is a city in Summit County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,470 at the 2010 census. Geography Oakley is located east of Salt Lake City on SR-32, in the Kam ...

, where it opened as the

Road Island Diner The Road Island Diner is a rare classic Streamline Moderne 60' x 16' Art Deco diner car restaurant located in the remote mountain city of Oakley, Utah, in the United States. It was prefabricated as diner # 1107 in 1939 at the Elizabeth, New Je ...

. * ''Miss America'',

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.New Jersey City University New Jersey City University (NJCU) is a public university in Jersey City, New Jersey. Originally chartered in 1927, and known as Jersey City State College for 40 years of its history, New Jersey City University consists of the School of Business, ...

campus. * ''Shawmut Diner'' of

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

, was donated in 2014 to the Bristol County House of Corrections in

Dartmouth, Massachusetts Dartmouth (Massachusett: ) is a coastal town in Bristol County, Massachusetts. Old Dartmouth was the first area of Southeastern Massachusetts to be settled by Europeans, primarily English. Dartmouth is part of New England's farm coast, which co ...

, where it serves as a training facility for inmates. * ''TJ's'' (formerly the Point Diner) in

Tamaqua, Pennsylvania Tamaqua (pronounced tuh-MAH-qwah, del, tëmakwe) is a borough in eastern Schuylkill County in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania, United States. It had a population of 6,934 as of the 2020 U.S. census. Tamaqua was established from territory from ...

, is a 1940 O’Mahony diner, although its exterior has been renovated and no longer has the stainless-metal look. The diner is in the

Tamaqua Historic District The Tamaqua Historic District is a national historic district that is located in Schuylkill Township and Tamaqua, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. History and architectural features This district includes 944 contributing buildings, three con ...

. * ''Palace diner 1923'', in Gloversville New York. * ''Mill Pond Diner'', in

Wareham, Massachusetts Wareham ( ) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 23,303. History Wareham was first settled in 1678 by Europeans as part of the towns of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Plymouth ...

, formerly operated as ''Earnshaw's Diner'' in

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

* ''Kelly's Diner,''

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

, built 1953. Formerly located in

New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 5,285. History New Castl ...

* ''Tilt'n Diner,''

Tilton, New Hampshire Tilton is a town on the Winnipesaukee River in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,962 at the 2020 census, up from 3,567 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of Tilton and Lochmere and part of the village ...

, built 1953. Formerly operated as the ''Monarch Diner'' in

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, th ...

. * ''Seaplane Diner'', moved to

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

in 1973 from its former location in Woonsocket. Dates from either the 1940s or 1950s. * ''Zip's Diner,'' Dayville, Connecticut * ''Mickey's Diner'', in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It has been in continuous operation at the same location since 1939.

Closed

Bishop's 4th Street Diner Newport Rhode Island

* ''Bishop's 4th Street Diner'', in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, was in continuous use in Newport from 1967 to 2022. Previously located on Route 6 in

Swansea, Massachusetts Swansea is a town in Bristol County in southeastern Massachusetts. It is located at the mouth of the Taunton River, just west of Fall River, south of Boston, and southeast of Providence, Rhode Island. The population was 17,144 at the 2020 cens ...

as "The Princeton Diner." It was moved to Admiral Kalbfus Road in Newport in 1967 as "The Galley Diner," then "The 4th Street Diner" (a tongue-in-cheek name, since no 4th Street exists in Newport). In 1998, renamed "Bishop's 4th Street Diner" after a new owner. The diner closed in 2022 to make way for a Seasons Market and gas station. After its closure, the diner was sold in October 2022 and moved to New Hampshire, where new owners plan to eventually reopen it as a restaurant.

Outside the United States

Overseas examples include: * The former ''Murphy's Diner'' from Cambridge, Massachusetts, now the '50s American Diner in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire, in the United Kingdom. * A 1947 model operated as ''The Excellent Diner'' in

Westfield, New Jersey Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 30,316,Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the origin ...

as Café des Cascadeurs (Café of the Stuntmen)
History of the Excellent Diner

Pre-war Streamline Moderne-style diners

At least 26 pre-war

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...

-style O'Mahony diners (built between 1932 and 1941) still existed as of 2015. These include the smaller 50' × 10'

Mickey's Diner Mickey's Dining Car is a classic diner in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Until 2020, it had been in continuous operation at the same location since 1939. Designed to resemble a railroad dining car, the prefabricated building was ...

serial number 1067 in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, which is one of several listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

; the 40' × 16' Collin's Diner serial number 1103 in

North Canaan, Connecticut North Canaan is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,211 at the 2020 census. The town center is still called "Canaan", being the main town center of the old town of Canaan prior to North Canaan splitting ...

; and the 1938

in Summit, N.J. The

(O'Mahony Dining Car #1107) was added to the

by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

on August 21, 2009.

References

Diner manufacturers Companies based in Union County, New Jersey 1917 establishments in New Jersey Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1917 Bayonne, New Jersey Companies based in Hudson County, New Jersey Companies based in Elizabeth, New Jersey American companies established in 1917 Companies disestablished in 1952 1952 disestablishments in New Jersey {{Diners , state=expanded