11 things that make a New Jersey diner a real diner

On the New Jersey subreddit a fun back and forth started the other day about a very famous New Jersey diner. Tops in East Newark. People praised their food as being literally addictive. The negatives were long wait times. Doesn't that only tell you how good a place is?

Now Tops made news for some major renovations not long ago. The iconic diner, which has been there since 1942, was being completely gutted. It reopened earlier this year with $11 million worth of improvements.

Among them, a $5,000 per month water filtration system, a champagne case, even a barista station. Could this much class still be considered a diner?

Fans say yes. They say it still manages to have the feel of a diner albeit a modern one.

It does bring up the question though ... what makes a diner a true diner? There are more diners in New Jersey than any other state and we've often been referred to as the diner capital of the world. So we'd better get it right.

While the list of things that make a diner a true diner could go on and on, here are the basics.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski's own.