Vintage Photos of Diners Through the Years

During the '30s and '40s, diners became more popular thanks to their low prices. They provided customers with an affordable place to eat out during the Great Depression and World War II.

Soda fountains were a popular addition to diners as soda was a really popular drink back in the day. The so-called "golden age of soda fountains" went on until the 1950s.

This diner from 1935 specialized in serving Quaker Oats dishes. Quaker introduced their famous Quick Oats all the back in 1922.

Up until the Great Depression, most diners were located in the Northeast, and despite the low prices, even these businesses suffered. It wasn't until after World War II that diners began to spread throughout the country to the Midwest and beyond.

It was during the '20s and '30 that diners began adapting to changing styles and took on the Art Deco look. The traditional diner look with the open kitchen began to take shape as the years went on.

In 1939, Roland Stickney came up with a diner design inspired by Art Deco and trains. He came up with a diner that was shaped like a streamlined train with a long counter, casual atmosphere, and fast American food. That's the look that Mickey's Diner (pictured here) in downtown St. Paul had.

When diners first began back in the early 1900s, they were more like dining cars where people ate food quickly, instead of restaurants. But as their style evolved, they became sit-down spots with waitresses and friendly owners.

Diners once had an especially large impact on New York dining culture, as you can tell from this busy spot in New York City back in the '40s. According to the New York Times, diners surged in New York after World War II due to the influx of immigrants.

The Pig was a lunchroom and diner just outside of Los Angeles in 1940.

The Palace Diner in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was built using only pre-war materials in 1943.

Before the 1940s, many diners catered to working men who didn't have a lot of time to eat, but wanted something good. As the 1940s went on and the workforce changed, diner owners realized they needed to adjust and wanted to begin catering to women, children, and families. They moved to areas between cities and suburbs to cater to the lower and middle class families there.

As the '40s went on, the look of the diner continued to change. Booths replaced tables, Formica countertops and stainless steel stools became staples, and neon signs were hung outside.

Female employees became an essential part of the diner experience before World War II ended, and were often seen working at the counter.

Kids have always loved diners, since they can eat at the counter and get ice cream sodas. Because they were inexpensive, diners were a popular spot for them.

Diners continued evolving after World War II. Corners were "softened" and steel tubing and Naugahyde replaced expensive materials. Homemade diners began popping up, some even imitating the prefab diners that came before them.

According to the New York Times, one of the great things about New York diners was "that the employees’ backgrounds are as varied as the languages spoken by the tourists who have found their way here. Costa Rica, Ecuador, Greece, Mexico, Poland, Romania — these are just a few of the countries where staff members come from. Together they constitute a microcosm of the immigrant groups that continue to arrive in New York — who not only made the city what it was, but the best of what it is and could be."

This photo of a lively diner in Times Square is pretty representative of what diners were like in New York in the '60s. Even in the heart of the city, people flocked to them to socialize.

This eatery in downtown Manhattan is still pretty crowded despite the fact that diners weren't the attraction they used to be by the time the '70s came around.