Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company

The Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was a manufacturer of roadside diners from 1917 to 1952. The company produced some 2,000 of the long, narrow, primarily metal buildings, perhaps more than any other firm.[1] Prefabricated in a factory and trucked to their locations, the diners resemble and are often confused with railroad rolling stock. The company's motto was "In our line, we lead the world".

History

Jerry O'Mahony (1890–1969) of Bayonne, New Jersey, is credited by some to have made the first "diner".[2] 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. The wagon helped spark New Jersey's golden age of diner manufacturing.[3]

It is estimated that about 20 remain in the United States as of 2022.

Examples

Pre-war Streamline Moderne–style diners

At least 26 pre-war Streamline Moderne–style O'Mahony diners (built between 1932 and 1941) still existed as of 2015.[17] These include:

• The smaller 50' × 10' Mickey's Diner serial number 1067 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, which is one of several listed on the National Register of Historic Places;
• The 40' × 16' Collin's Diner[18] serial number 1103 in North Canaan, Connecticut;
• The 1938 Summit Diner in Summit, New Jersey.
• The Road Island Diner (O'Mahony Dining Car #1107) was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on August 21, 2009.[19]

See also

• Franks Diner
• Frazer Diner
• Tastee Diner
• List of diners