Utah's Road Island Diner Has A History That Goes Back To 1939
By Catherine Armstrong|Published September 21, 2020
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
Road Island Diner is an adorable vintage diner in Oakley, Utah. It offers a retro atmosphere, great food, and friendly service, and it’s a favorite dining spot for locals and visitors alike. The little diner opened in 2007, but its roots go all the way back to 1939.
You'll find Road Island diner in the little town of Oakley, but it got its start in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The diner was manufactured that year by the Jerry O'Mahoney Company and made its debut at the 1939 World's Fair in New York.
In 1953, Tommy Borodemos was serving his community with a tiny lunch wagon in Newport, Rhode Island. He desperately needed more space, so he bought the diner from Al McDermott for $600 and moved it to Middleton, Rhode Island. Four generations of the Borodemos family fed the folks in Middleton for fifty years, and the diner was hugely popular, even appearing on national television.
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In 2006, the family decided it was time to sell the diner. While people all over the country hoped to buy it, the diner was moved to Oakley in May, 2007.
It was quite a feat to move an entire diner with a semi truck! Police escorts and pilot cars escorted the diner down back roads and highways, and the diner finally arrived at its new Utah home in July.
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Though the diner's history goes all the way back to the Great Depression, it looks just like it would have when it was first introduced to visitors at the World's Fair in 1939.
Sit down at the counter, with its vintage stools and dark green, Italian marble top, and admire the tiled flooring that's reminiscent of its original hand-laid quarry tile.
The 1940s soda fountain is vintage, too. Get a shake, malt or float, or have them scoop you up some homemade ice cream for a classic sundae or banana split .
Almost everything here is either original or a reproduction of the original equipment. One exception is the mini jukeboxes at every table. Those are brand new, but they definitely add a fun, retro feel to the atmosphere!