Rooms at the Cornelius Low House/Middlesex County Museum have been decorated to resemble traditional diner settings with food, tables and jukeboxes. JEREMY GROSSMAN/STAFF New Jersey diners represent more than hamburgers and French fries; they are emblematic of an entire history and mythology of the state, according to historian Michael C. Gabriele.
“It’s who we are,” Gabriele said. “It’s in our DNA.”
New Jersey’s longstanding relationship with diners — and the past, present and future of the diner model — is celebrated at an exhibit now open at the Cornelius Low House/Middlesex County Museum, 1225 River Road, Piscataway.
The first exhibit of its kind in the state, “Icons of American Culture: History of New Jersey Diners” is a multiroom exploration of the New Jersey diner industry, including diner food, architecture, manufacturers and the Greek immigrants who revolutionized diner culture in the 20th century.
Freehold Grill, Freehold Borough PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL C, GABRIELE “Diners are the type of place with no reservations. You walk in as you are, whoever you are, and you always get a seat. It’s egalitarian in that way,” said Gabriele, cocurator of the exhibit and author of the book “The History of Diners in New Jersey.”
He cited New Jersey — specifically, Central New Jersey — as being at the “crossroads” of destinations such as Philadelphia and New York, which contributed to the rise of diner culture in the state. “We had to develop this idea of hospitality,” Gabriele said. “People would be traveling through, and they would be hungry.
“People say, ‘Why aren’t diners popular elsewhere?’ Well, there are reasons for that, and one of the big reasons is that other parts of the country — the Midwest, the Southeast, Texas — had drive-ins where you drive to the restaurant and get served at your car. We have a few here in New Jersey, like Stewart’s and Sonic, but New Jersey diners never adapted to that model.”
Michael C. Gabriele, author of “The History of Diners in New Jersey,” celebrates the rich history of the state’s diner industry next to a table display. JEREMY GROSSMAN/STAFF In spirit with the theme, rooms in the museum have been fashioned to resemble a traditional diner setting, including tables, food, a working jukebox and a rotating cake display.
The exhibit also highlights the different stages of diner style, from when they began as lunch wagons in the early 20th century, through their evolution to art deco and neon designs.
Even as some of New Jersey’s most iconic diners close down — such as Red Bank’s Broadway Diner, which closed in 2014 — Gabriele said New Jersey residents are never going to grow tired of diners, though the diner format may gradually change.
JEREMY GROSSMAN/STAFF “The diner culture and the diner mythology will always be part of our state,” Gabriele said. “The food is going to change. Greeks were the big success story in the 20th century, and now I see Asian people and Latin American people running diners. It’s always evolving, and that’s how it should be.”
Diners are going to gradually have more health-conscious options, Gabriele said, and fewer people will be ordering “a double hamburger with bacon and cheese.”
He also noted how some diners, such as the Skylark Diner in Edison, have changed to become like traditional restaurants, in the sense that they are more formal than traditional diners, have bigger tables and are family-oriented rather than “blue-collar oriented.”
“It’s evolved,” Gabriele said. “A lot of people say, ‘What’s a real diner?’ We still have some of the stainless steel diners, but things change. Everything changes.”
As for what he considers to be the best in Central New Jersey, he selected the Skylark Diner as being particularly strong. However, he said the best diner food in the entire state can be found at Mustache Bill’s Diner in Barnegat Light.
But Gabriele said he is “a little hesitant” when identifying what he considers his favorite diner.
“It’s not really a fair question, because I’ve been going to the Tick Tock Diner [in Clifton] all my life, and that’s kind of my favorite,” Gabriele said.
Even though diners are a “fun topic,” he said their lineage tells the story of New Jersey’s growth throughout the last century.
“When I first saw this [exhibit], I was just smiling,” Gabriele said. “I think you’ll be entertained and you’ll enjoy it, but it’ll also be educational. … It tells the story of how we developed as our state expanded and the road systems became more popular. Now we are the diner capital of the world.”
“Icons of American Culture: History of New Jersey Diners” will run at the Cornelius Low House/Middlesex County Museum through June 2016. For hours and information, call the museum at 732-745-4177.