The rise and fall of the American diner

Tech Insider : Business, Style

New Jersey is the diner capital of America, boasting more than any other US state. But even in New Jersey, traditional, chrome-clad diners seem to be disappearing. Yet, Tops, the state's busiest diner, still serves 13,000 people a week.

I ate at one of the oldest diners in the US, located inside a 1920s railcar. It was worth the hourlong wait for a seat.

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palace diner biddeford maine cheeseburger
Palace Diner cheeseburger with fries.

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I tried a famous fried chicken sandwich at Maine's oldest diner. It was worth the trouble to actually get it.

Tech Insider : Travel
the palace diner biddeford maine fried chicken sandwich and wedge salad
I tried the fried chicken sandwich at Palace Diner in Biddeford, Maine, and understood why it's known to sell out early.

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Vintage photos show what it was like to eat at a diner in the 1950s

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50s diner
Teenagers sitting at a diner counter circa 1950.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images

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