Quebra-cabeça Valentine Diner Interior

"Valentine Diner Interior" by Catherine Sherman. On the left, a man waits for his lunch in a Valentine diner in Wichita, Kansas, while regular patrons in the back room talk over their meals. Another man reads a newspaper in a favorite booth. The red and white tiled floors, the red vinyl stools and booths with aluminum trim adds to the vintage feel and appeal. This diner building is a modified double deluxe model. The term diner said to derive from "dining car," and in concept it was meant to offer the type of service that came from the old restaurants on wheels. Today the word is loosely used to mean any small restaurant. According to the Kansas Historical Society, Valentine Diners began their nearly 40-year career in Wichita, an idea born of the Great Depression. The diners were constructed as eight-to-ten-seat diners that one or two people could operate. In an industry where nearly all major diner manufacturers were on the East Coast, the Kansas creation managed to ship its little pre-fabs all across the country. Valentines could be found along major highways to attract travelers. These diners were manufactured in Wichita from the late 1930s into the mid-1970s. Sales of the buildings expanded nationwide, and soon Valentines were all over the United States. Many are still in use today.