NJ diners used to define late-night life — now another Route 1 classic is gone

There was a time in New Jersey when you could count on one thing at 2 a.m. a diner. An old lady waitress that called everyone Hon, coffee that tasted better next to disco fries, and Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” on the mini-jukebox.

That version of Jersey keeps slipping away.

The old Menlo Park Diner in Edison, one of those classic 24-hour places that seemed like it would outlive us all, is now officially becoming House of Bombay, a new Indian restaurant. As reported by NJ.com, a soft opening is expected later this month.

But honestly? At least it’s staying food.

That may sound like a weird consolation prize, but if you’ve been watching what’s happening to Jersey diners, you know that’s not always the case. Sometimes they become luxury apartments. Sometimes medical offices. Sometimes, somehow, a car wash. That happened to the Coach House Diner. Check out: Another iconic NJ diner closing, will become a car wash. 

I've written before about the slow vanishing act. Miss America Diner. Townsquare Diner. The old Marlton Diner. Penn Queen Diner. Galaxy Diner. Read more here. 

It’s beginning to read like a memorial wall.

The reasons are pretty plain. Labor costs. Food costs. Massive menus. Fewer places are staying open 24 hours. And younger generations not exactly craving a three-page laminated menu and a side of rice pudding at midnight. A lot of New Jerseyans feel diners lost their edge when they stopped being cheap and stopped being all-night.

So yes, the old Menlo Park Diner is gone. Another piece of Route 1 nostalgia with it. It first opened in 1960. The Menlo Park Diner operated for decades as a 24-hour joint up until the pandemic hit in 2020. It never fully came back from that. It went up for sale in January of 2023 but later that year closed for good when a fire hit.

RIP, old friend.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

Report a correction 👈