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Are diners recession proof?

Category: Eat in Diners

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Written by Randy Garbin

Aside from the good news written here, there's the "Oh oh" factor to consider. What will the currently pristine Colonial Diner look like after the owners triple its size?

The Colonial Diner in Bergen County, New Jersey. Possible Lou-Roc candidate?

As South Bergen weathers the effects of the nation’s longest, deepest recession since the 1930s, at least one type of business seems to be thriving. Diners, a South Bergen staple since at least the 1950s, are not only weathering the economic storm, they’re thriving in it.

As media reports note the reluctance to go out to eat on the part of the American people, two South Bergen diners are undergoing renovations and the rest are doing at least as well as they had been prior to the recession and, in some cases, even better.

Both the Schuyler and Colonial diners originated in Kearny and were moved to Lyndhurst by truck between the 1940s and 1950s and, still thriving, have begun renovations this year.

The Schuyler Diner on Schuyler Avenue, after having been closed for about two years, is undergoing renovations and, essentially, unveiling a brand new diner. Developer Nat Greco, a North Arlington native, is redeveloping the property while business owner Peter Phaff will take over operations once it reopens.

Greco believes people who are reluctant to go out to eat are avoiding fancy restaurants and eating out economically. "Obviously, it’s like anything else. McDonald’s is doing terrific," said Greco. "The families still like to take people out."

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