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lanking dishes, tinkling spoons against
ceramic coffee mugs, a squeaky kitchen door
swinging open and shut and, of course, the
constant buzz of conversation.
Diners have their own distinct sound and feel and
definitely their own unique look that differs from other
eateries. Few people realize that a true “diner” is actually
a prefabricated, restaurant-in-a-box type building, dating
back to the early century.
The very early versions were mobile, almost like
a modern food truck. The diner packages included
everything a motivated young foodie needed to open up
shop with a service counter, stools and food prep area.
As the design of diners evolved, they became state of
the art, using the latest technology and materials like
Formica and chrome, giving us the iconic soda shop-era
design we all recognize.
Restaurateurs who couldn’t afford the pre-packaged
diners started the trend of using out-of-service railway
dining cars and trolleys.
Now diners come in all shapes and sizes and exteriors.
The counter, stools and ubiquitous white ceramic mug
seem to be a unifying feature these days.
In West County, we like to distinguish ourselves from
the diner crowd by dubbing ours “dinors” instead. The
exact origin of the alternative spelling is unknown, but
speculative minds put forth that it was either a typo
that caught on or the work of a marketing-savvy owner
We have two such dinors, the Girard Dinor on Main
Street in Girard and the All Aboard Dinor on Rice
Avenue in Lake City.
The Girard Dinor, with its bright red booths and
green tabletops, has a long list of previous owners in
its 100-year history, chronicled on the cover of the
newspaper-like menu.
Like any long-standing establishment, Girard Dinor
has loyal patrons who return day after day to enjoy a
good cup of coffee.
“We have regulars who sit at the same table each day.
One of our regulars has been sitting in the same place
for 20 years. Another regular customer changed her
time and started coming a little earlier and there was
an overlap. We had an all-out table war,” says Tammy
Niebauer, at Girard Dinor.
Behind the register, blue ribbons are tacked on the
wall from the Best in the West awards.
“Girard Dinor is a nice place to get home cookin.’
Everyone is friendly and treats you like family there,”
says Lake City resident Bill Grace, who has gone to the
restaurant a lot over the years.
About two miles down the road is the All Aboard
Dinor. The building sits along the tracks and dates back
to 1837 when it served as Girard Station for the Lake
Shore Railroad. It wasn’t converted into a restaurant
until 1993.
The menu boasts your traditional diner fare but the
wanting his diner to stand out from the others.
In 1993, public television host Rick Sebak produced
a documentary, “Pennsylvania Diners and Other
Roadside Restaurants,” that mentions the dinor spelling
phenomenon. It cites the origins of the usage in the
1940s and spreading out from Erie to the surrounding
counties.
main attraction is the mini train that runs along the
perimeter of the restaurant. Sit in your booth long enough
and you are likely to see the real thing roll by out the
window, much to the delight of kids young and old.
“We have a lot of regulars come daily and it’s a great
place for people to meet,” says Brooke Bowers. n
West County | Fall 2016 | icmags.com 35