Known as "night owls," the first diners were horse-drawn carts equipped with a griddle and icebox, selling snacks outside the city's honky-tonks from dusk till dawn. These crude vehicles were replaced in the late 19th century by discarded streetcars retrofitted with a counter and stools. By the 1930s, companies were manufacturing stationary structures that looked like streetcars, featuring art deco streamlining, now outfitted with booths to encourage families. And in the 1950s, eastern Mediterranean immigrants took over the trade, and the Greek diner was born. The menu had evolved over the years into a compendium of classic American dishes: soups, sandwiches, roasts, seafood, hamburgers, all-day breakfasts, spaghetti, and spanakopita.
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