Rosie's Diner
Encyclopedia
Rosie's Diner is located in Rockford
, Michigan. The dining car originally opened in the 1940s in Little Ferry
, New Jersey, as the Silver Dollar Diner. After multiple commercials were filmed in the diner for Bounty paper towels with fictional character Rosie the Waitress, the diner was renamed Rosie's. Previously offered to the Smithsonian Institution
, the restaurant was sold in the 1990s to a Michigan artist who had the building moved to its current location next to another diner. A third diner was later moved to the site from Fulton
, New York. A series of replicas were built as part of a chain of restaurants in the Denver area.
when it first opened in the 1940s. Rosie's was owned by Ralph Carrado, Jr. and his father before him. Carrado renamed the restaurant after the waitress character from the commercials in 1970.
and another for Pepsi
in the earlier days of the restaurant. However, the series of TV commercials that made the diner famous were for Bounty paper towels. They were filmed at the diner during the 1970s. Clumsy patrons would knock over beverages, and Rosie the Waitress, played by Nancy Walker
, would clean up the mess using Bounty paper towels, pronouncing the product the "quicker picker-upper". Two decades after the first commercials were filmed, Walker was still cleaning up after her television customers, but on a studio instead of in the diner. Other companies like Ethan Allen Furniture
and Sony
used the New Jersey diner location for their advertisements. After 45 years and countless commercials in Little Ferry, Carrado placed the restaurant for sale.
was rejected. Jerry Berta is an artist that produces ceramic replicas of classic diners, with the original Rosie's as one of his inspirations. He owned one diner, a 1947 Jerry O’Mahoney Dining Car
, located on the site in Michigan when he found out that the New Jersey diner was for sale. Berta bought Rosie's and moved it to Michigan at its current location. The purchase price at the time was $10,000 for the 24 by building. Work crews sawed the diner in half the week after it closed in 1990 in New Jersey to load it on flatbed trucks for the move to Michigan. The restaurant opened in its new location on July 5, 1991. The current owner, Jonelle Woods purchased the diner in January 2006. Since the change of ownership, the former Garden of Eatin', a diner moved to the site from Fulton, New York in 1994, has been reopened as a sports bar by the new owners.
Rosie's Diner closed on October 2, 2011.
and Aurora
.
Rockford, Michigan
Rockford is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,719. It is on the Rogue River and is only a few miles north of Grand Rapids.- History :...
, Michigan. The dining car originally opened in the 1940s in Little Ferry
Little Ferry, New Jersey
Little Ferry is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 10,626.-Geography:Little Ferry is located at ....
, New Jersey, as the Silver Dollar Diner. After multiple commercials were filmed in the diner for Bounty paper towels with fictional character Rosie the Waitress, the diner was renamed Rosie's. Previously offered to the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, the restaurant was sold in the 1990s to a Michigan artist who had the building moved to its current location next to another diner. A third diner was later moved to the site from Fulton
Fulton, Oswego County, New York
Fulton is a small city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 11,855 at the 2000 census. The city is named after Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat.The city of Fulton is located in the western part of the county....
, New York. A series of replicas were built as part of a chain of restaurants in the Denver area.
Origins
The restaurant was originally the Silver Dollar Diner in Little Ferry, New Jersey; it was built in 1946 by the Paramount Dining Car Company. The diner was located on U.S. Route 46U.S. Route 46
U.S. Route 46 is an east–west U.S. Highway, running for , completely within the state of New Jersey. The west end is at an interchange with Interstate 80 and Route 94 in Columbia, Warren County on the Delaware River...
when it first opened in the 1940s. Rosie's was owned by Ralph Carrado, Jr. and his father before him. Carrado renamed the restaurant after the waitress character from the commercials in 1970.
Bounty commercials
Two other commercials were previously filmed in the building, one for SankaSanka
Sanka is a brand of instant decaffeinated coffee, sold around the world, and was one of the earliest decaffeinated varieties. Sanka is distributed in the United States by Kraft Foods.-History:...
and another for Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
in the earlier days of the restaurant. However, the series of TV commercials that made the diner famous were for Bounty paper towels. They were filmed at the diner during the 1970s. Clumsy patrons would knock over beverages, and Rosie the Waitress, played by Nancy Walker
Nancy Walker
Nancy Walker was an American actress and comedienne of stage, screen, and television. She was also a film and television director...
, would clean up the mess using Bounty paper towels, pronouncing the product the "quicker picker-upper". Two decades after the first commercials were filmed, Walker was still cleaning up after her television customers, but on a studio instead of in the diner. Other companies like Ethan Allen Furniture
Ethan Allen (furniture company)
Ethan Allen Global, Inc. is a North American furniture chain with almost 300 stores across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1932 by two brothers-in-law, Nathan S...
and Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
used the New Jersey diner location for their advertisements. After 45 years and countless commercials in Little Ferry, Carrado placed the restaurant for sale.
Move to Michigan
Carrado sold the land under the diner to the auto glass repair shop next door. The business did not want the diner, leaving Carrado to sell the building. His offer to place "the most famous diner in America" in the Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
was rejected. Jerry Berta is an artist that produces ceramic replicas of classic diners, with the original Rosie's as one of his inspirations. He owned one diner, a 1947 Jerry O’Mahoney Dining Car
Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company
The Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, whose motto was "In our line, We lead the world", was said to have produced 2,000 diners from 1917 to 1941, and became the largest manufacturer of its period. The roadside diners referred to are long, narrow, primarily metal buildings,...
, located on the site in Michigan when he found out that the New Jersey diner was for sale. Berta bought Rosie's and moved it to Michigan at its current location. The purchase price at the time was $10,000 for the 24 by building. Work crews sawed the diner in half the week after it closed in 1990 in New Jersey to load it on flatbed trucks for the move to Michigan. The restaurant opened in its new location on July 5, 1991. The current owner, Jonelle Woods purchased the diner in January 2006. Since the change of ownership, the former Garden of Eatin', a diner moved to the site from Fulton, New York in 1994, has been reopened as a sports bar by the new owners.
Rosie's Diner closed on October 2, 2011.
Replicas
A series of replica diners were built by PMC Diners, the successor to Paramount Dining Car. A group of investors purchased the trademark to the Rosie's Diner name from Berta and Carrado in 2000, aiming to form a chain of restaurants in the Denver area. Currently, there are locations in MonumentMonument, Colorado
Monument is a growing town situated on the Rampart Range in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Monument is bordered by Pike National Forest on the west, Colorado Springs and the United States Air Force Academy to the south, foothills and rock outcroppings to the north and rolling plains to...
and Aurora
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
.