I first saw a Valentine Diner at the Classical Gas Museum in Embudo, New Mexico. The museum, in the Rio Grande River Valley, is a collection of antique gas pumps, neon signs, soda machines, oil cans, vintage trucks and cars, plus plenty of other items.
I grew up in the Wichita, Kansas, area but it wasn’t until I visited a museum in New Mexico a couple of years ago that I found out about a hometown industry — the Valentine Diner. My family moved to the Wichita area because of its biggest manufacturing business — airplanes — but somehow I missed this smaller manufacturing cousin.
The diners were manufactured in Wichita by Valentine Manufacturing, Inc., from the late 1930s into the mid-1970s. Sales of the buildings expanded nationwide, and soon Valentine diners were installed all over the United States. About 2,200 of the portable diners, in a wide range of sizes. Some served only a handful of customers, while the double deluxe versions were as large as many restaurants with added areas that featured several booths, tables and a long counter with stools.
Numerous Valentine diner buildings are still in use today, but many are no longer diners, but serve as headquarters for other types of businesses, such as used car lot offices and dog grooming salons. One 8-stool Valentine building was converted to an Albuquerque, New Mexico, Police Substation
Menu of Terry’s Diner, which has maintained the sign and location of Brint’s Diner in an historic Valentine diner building in Wichita, Kansas.
One Valentine diner still serving delicious meals is Brint’s Diner in Wichita, where my mother and I enjoyed a meal. The red and white checkered linoleum tile floor, the red vinyl booths and bar stools and the aluminum trimmed interior provide a delightful vintage atmosphere. The diner attracts a loyal following. The Brint’s building is a double deluxe model. The diner concept was based on railroad dining cars, but with a parking lot and the addition of porches and other extras they settled in as permanent residents of their neighborhoods.
The Grinder Man sandwich shop in Wichita, Kansas, is an A-frame model of a Valentine Diner.
This Valentine Diner building in Wichita, Kansas, formerly a Lil Joe’s Dyne-Quik, is now closed. Sign says that the building was closed due to unsafe conditions.
Brint’s Diner (actually Terry’s Diner) in Wichita, Kansas, is a Double Deluxe model of a Valentine Diner building.
Interior of Brint’s Diner.
For more about Valentine Diner’s check out these links:
Kansapedia: Valentine Portable Diners in Kansas
Valentine Diners Along Route 66 and Beyond.
Arthur Valentine’s Portable Diners.
Catherine Sherman 
The diner really is so cute! 🙂
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Thank you, Andy! It looks like a Valentine!
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Catherine, I’m reminded of our trip to California during 2010. I’ve searched, but have been unable to find a photo taken on our way to a ‘Red Wood Forest’ not far out of San Francisco. We dined in a ‘diner’ similar to those imaged in your post. As we don’t have these in Australia, it was a lovely experience; one that seemed ‘old world’.
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These diners do have a wonderful vintage feel. I’m going to look for more!
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Would love to have a huge breakfast at Brint’s. Nice post, especially from a Brit who’s never been to the States. One day mate, one day!
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I just heard that Brint’s has closed, but hopefully a new owner will open it again. Keeping these old jewels running must be a tough job.
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Hiya Catherine > Thanks for following. Keep on hitting those diners 🙂
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That was interesting. I live in Orlando and there’s a restaurant in Maitland, FL called Kappy’s Subs that operates in a old Valentine Diner building.
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