JUMP TO:
“Third Places” Diners as Third Places The History and Myth of the American DinerThe Future of Diners and Third Places Reflect and Connect References
When New York Governor Kathy Hochul abruptly scrapped the MTA’s proposed “congestion pricing” plan in the summer of 2024, she attributed her decision to recent visits to diners where she talked with ordinary citizens. Eateries like Comfort Diner, Townhouse Diner, and Pershing Square Cafe are among her regular stops, where she places significant value on the verbal feedback she receives. Hochul’s actions reflect a longstanding tradition in American politics: diners as informal polling stations for direct insight into the concerns of everyday constituents.
Politicians visiting diners is a common practice on the campaign trail. The Red Arrow Diner in New Hampshire, a favorite during primary seasons, has hosted nearly every major political candidate for decades. Their website even includes a link for political organizers to request visits. Meghan McCarron writes in Eater, “By dining in a relatable way, candidates aim not only to showcase their own humanity but also to embody the values of everyday Americans.”
Roundabout Theatre Company’s latest play, The Counter, unfolds entirely within a diner in “way upstate” New York. This establishment serves as the character Paul’s third place, a concept coined by urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg to denote a space where individuals spend significant time outside of home and work. It’s a notion that underscores the importance of having a neutral, accessible venue for social interactions.
This article aims to explore the significance of diners as third places within the context of The Counter and the American imagination. Anchoring the narrative entirely within this single location highlights the profound connection between setting and character.
The interior of Champ’s Diner in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, 1979.
Photo by Henry Horenstein/Library of Congress.If our homes are considered the first place and workplaces the second place, then third places become crucial social hubs that foster community and a sense of belonging.
A previous Upstage Guide article highlights popular television examples of third places like the Cheers bar (where “everybody knows your name”), MacLaren’s Pub from How I Met Your Mother, and Central Perk from Friends. These fictional settings resonate because they capture the essence of real-life social spaces where relationships are nurtured and friendships blossom.
Third places play a vital role in community building and social interaction. They offer visitors a neutral environment, the freedom to come and go, a community of regulars who shape the atmosphere, and a focus on friendly conversation. Local bars, neighborhood coffee shops, and barbershops are common examples of third places that provide stability and continuity in a rapidly changing world, offering a sanctuary from the pressures of daily life.
Diners as Third Places
In her memoir Finding Freedom, Chef Erin French reflects on her experience working at her father’s diner in Belfast, Maine, where seeing the same faces every day between 6:00 am and 8:00 am became a ritual of community connection before everyone headed off to work. This daily routine involved purposefully traveling from home to this third space and then to work, fostering comfort and a sense of belonging through familiar interactions.
Many see visiting diners as a ritual, as exemplified in The Counter. The character Paul’s daily breakfast isn’t inspired by morning whims but by routine, highlighting the diner’s role as his third space—a consistent backdrop where he finds solace and continuity in his life.
Katelynn Cooper, a native of “way upstate” who we spoke to for this piece, recalls a weekly ritual of family dinners at the local eatery every Friday night, organized by her mother who was too tired to cook after a long workweek. At the diner, the family engaged with neighbors while waiting for their meal, emphasizing the diner’s role as a hub for social interaction and community bonding.
Diners facilitate community building and socialization by offering a place where interactions between neighbors are easily initiated. This encourages spontaneous conversations and connections, enhancing the communal atmosphere—regulars with rituals, in community with each other. DJ Matthews, co-owner of Diner Time in Latham, NY, insists:
90% of our business is from regular and repeat customers…retired veterans, women’s groups, parents with little children, local business associates, local youth sports teams, local teens, and so many more.
Athanasios Tyrnas, co-owner of Capital City Diner in Albany, is particularly proud of the community building that occurs in his eatery:
Our servers know customers’ orders before they even verbally express them, and we have heard stories of people having their first date at our diner and now coming with their kids... also stories of remembrance of certain individuals that have passed on, but their families still visit our diner because it was their loved one’s favorite place to eat.
In an emotive testimony, Shana Davis, operations manager of Phoenicia Diner in Phoenicia, NY, shares:
We have many guests who visit us weekly, or even multiple times in one weekend, and we love getting to know them... [and] many of our employees have been with us for over a decade. It's one of the happiest restaurants I've ever been a part of!
In The Counter Katie comes to a “way upstate” New York town as an escape from the city. While she refers to their “small town,” Paul names it their “crappy town.” Paul might be using the diner as his escape from the town outside; his third place offers comfort. Interestingly, most of Paul and Katie’s interactions take place early in the morning and across the counter, which acts as both a barrier and a connector for their social dynamics before the morning rush truly begins. This nuanced setting enriches the play’s themes, prompting audiences to contemplate how physical spaces shape human interactions.
A truck driver and waitress in a diner in Clinton, Indiana, in 1940.
Photo by Arthur Rothstein/Library of Congress.In Paste Magazine, Joan Russel recounts how the concept of the diner originated when Rhode Island entrepreneur Walter Scott repurposed a horse-pulled wagon into a mobile car serving sandwiches, coffee, pies, and eggs late at night. This innovative solution laid the foundation for what would become an iconic American institution. Rhode Island’s Haven Brothers Diner exemplifies this tradition, still operating in its original mobile format, rolling into downtown each evening to serve its famous hot dogs to late-night patrons before departing early the next morning. It is a continuity that underscores the enduring appeal and adaptability of the diner concept as a vital third place in the community.
By 1913, Jerry Mahoney established the first stationary diner, and by the 1930s the chrome and streamlined design began to represent a modern departure from the historical pushcarts and rail cars.
Michael Karl Witzel, in The American Diner, explains that diners initially catered to working-class individuals with some disposable income. These individuals found eating in finer restaurants with clothes soiled from a day’s work embarrassing, and such restaurants were often closed during the late-night and early-morning hours when workers needed to eat. Diners filled this gap, offering affordable, hearty meals around the clock, serving both laborers and night owls alike, thus becoming a reliable third place for various segments of society, whenever they needed such a space.
Andrew Hurley notes, in a paper titled “From Hash House to Family Restaurant: The Transformation of the Diner and Post-World War II Consumer Culture,” that diners introduced booths to accommodate families, moving from urban manufacturing centers to suburban locales. This shift bridged blue-collar work and white-collar domestic life, reflecting broader social changes and evolving family dynamics and began the now-popular notion of diners being a place where everybody was welcome. The diner holds significant cultural and symbolic importance in American mythology, as Russel writes, “representing a slice of Americana where diverse groups of people can come together over a cup of coffee and a slice of pie.” It embodies democratic ideals and egalitarian values often associated with the American dream, emphasizing its role as a third place where community bonds are strengthened.
Diners are richly represented in literature, pop culture, and art. Examples include the films When Harry Met Sally and Grease, the TV show Happy Days, and Edward Hopper’s painting Nighthawks, depicting solitary patrons in a diner at night. These portrayals highlight diners as settings for both personal narratives and pivotal moments in American life. Theatre also explores diner settings in plays like Waitress, Fly By Night, and Two Trains Running, using these locations to delve into themes of connection, longing, and everyday existence. Paul and Katie’s conversations in The Counter impact them deeply, profoundly changing each of their lives from within a space—the diner—in which they both feel they belong.
However, Andrew Hurley challenges the idealized notion of diners arguing:
This idea that the diner was a place for everyone, that the diner was a democratic space, the diner as a site of harmonious social relationships—that was something that [diners] propagated in publicity.
Hurley notes that diners, notably including the lunch counters at Woolworth’s department stores, were sites of both segregation and lion-hearted protests during the Civil Rights era, revealing discrepancies between ideals of inclusivity and actual practices.
While diners are celebrated as iconic American institutions, how accurate is this image? Eater’s Meghan McCarron questions the continued embrace of nostalgic diner decor that evokes “an imagined idyllic 1950s” noting that it could have the opposite effect on those who faced discrimination in that era. Considering current reality, who frequents diners today? Does it matter? McCarron observes:
Diners have become synonymous with ... the working class, the small-town community center, a place for ‘real’ Americans free of frills and ostentation, and most of all, a place for “everyone.” Such that it doesn’t matter whether diners, in their current state, are actually those things.
The Future of Diners as Third Places
If diners aren’t measuring up to their reputation in our collective imagination, is there a path forward to bolster and protect these potential third places? Can the current iteration of American diners truly function as vital third spaces for everyday people? It seems the key lies in striking a balance between preserving tradition and embracing innovation, maintaining the nostalgic charm of the past while adapting to contemporary tastes and economic realities. If we believe our beloved diners hold inherent value, providing a sense of community and belonging that is increasingly rare elsewhere, then their sustainability hinges on our support. As we navigate the complexities of modern life, let us cherish and rally behind our local diners, ensuring they remain vibrant third places for all.
DJ Matthews from Diner Time reflects:
Walt Disney once said, “you can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it takes people to make the dream a reality.” It's my belief that we have created one of those places. Where people can come and fill their belly, connect with others, laugh, and replenish themselves.
These third spaces can transcend mere dining; they can serve as the beating hearts of our communities, where stories are exchanged, friendships are cemented, and the social fabric is woven tighter. This is certainly the case in The Counter. By bolstering spaces like this, we safeguard a pivotal component of our social and cultural heritage.
References
Note: Members of the New York Public Library can access JSTOR and many other research databases through the library’s Articles & Databases page.
Blecher, George. “More Than Coffee: New York’s Vanishing Diner Culture.” The New York Times, 28 Mar. 2019.
Brown, Paul Gordon, PhD. “Bowling Leagues, Cheers Bar, and Central Perk: Cultivate a Third Place, Cultivate Your Brand.” Dr. Paul Gordon Brown, n.d.
Conti, Allie. “Do Yourself a Favor and Go Find a ‘Third Place.’” The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2022
Cooper, Katelynn. Interview. Conducted by Daniel Robert Sullivan, July 2024.
Davis, Shana. Interview. Conducted by Daniel Robert Sullivan, July 2024.
Dean, James. “Pandemic Prompted Exodus from New York City, Gains Upstate.” Cornell Chronicle, Cornell University, 24 Mar. 2022.
French, Erin. Finding Freedom: A Cook's Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch. Celadon Books, 2021.
Hurley, Andrew. “From Hash House to Family Restaurant: The Transformation of the Diner and Post-World War II Consumer Culture.” The Journal of American History, vol. 83, no. 4, Mar. 1997, p. 1282.
“2024 State of the Restaurant Industry.” National Restaurant Association, 5 Feb. 2024.
Kuntzman, Gersh. “Cycle of Rage: Hochul’s 'Diner Diplomacy' is the Worst Kind of Lie.” Streetsblog New York City, 9 June 2024.
Kubach, Richard. Interview by Newsday. Sunny Side Up: Since Sept. 11, New Yorkers Have Renewed Their Love for the Diner, 19 Apr. 2021.
Lekkas, Alexi. Interview. Conducted by Daniel Robert Sullivan, July 2024.
Matthews, DJ. Interview. Conducted by Daniel Robert Sullivan, July 2024.
McCarron, Meghan. “Eating the 2020 Election: How Politicians Use Diners to Make a Statement.” Eater, 9 Dec. 2019.
Russell, Joan. “The History of the American Diner.” Paste Magazine, 18 Oct. 2016.
Saxena, Jaya. “The Myth of the American Diner.” Eater, 12 June 2023.
Tyrnas, Athanasios. Interview. Conducted by Daniel Robert Sullivan, July 2024.
“Q + A with Ray Oldenburg.” Steelcase, Inc., n.d.
Published on September 9, 2024.