For those who follow the Mr. Local History Project, there is one trustee who’s obsessed with New Jersey diners. Part of it is those 12-page menus, part of it’s how quickly the food comes to the table after ordering, and part of it is the nostalgia for anyone who’s grown up in New Jersey because diners are part of our collective Jersey history. But this story about the Bendix diner takes a diner story to a whole new level.
Why I didn’t know this story is beyond me. I’ve literally gone to probably a hundred diners. Sure, I have my favorites for various reasons, but after I saw a Jersey diner documentary called “Bendix Site Unseen,” I started asking my diner pals. My brother-in-law grew up in Clifton and at the Bendix Diner (and Rutt’s Hut). So I asked him if he had seen the documentary I mentioned, and he said no. This is why we had to prepare this story and tell it to anyone who’d listen about the history of not really the place, as it is an icon, but the man. The owner is a flat out “New Jersey treasure so don’t walk……run to meet this family and support his dedication to being what has to be “New Jersey’s ultimate ambassador…. John Diakakis.
Area resident and Ramapo College graduate Anthony Scalia says he spent his whole life driving past the iconic Bendix Diner. So, I thought I would get an overview of a diner like I’ve seen many times before. A few years ago, the Mr. Local History Project created a “Jersey Food” map and dedicated the Broad Street Diner in Keyport with our designation as “New Jersey’s Collective Diner.” The Hasbrouck Heights staple, named after the Bendix Corporation once in the area, turns 75 this year. So we just like Jersey diners and thought this documentary would be fun.
The Bendix Diner has also appeared in other films, including Jersey Girl (1992), Boys on the Side (1995), and The Many Saints of Newark (2021), and in commercials starring Ray Charles and Michael J. Fox. “For a while there, the Bendix Diner may have been the most famous diner on American TV.
Meet The Diner Owner, John Diakakis (DEE-A-COCK-is)
John Diakakis, pronounced DEE-A-COCK-is, is a diner legend. He’s owned the Bendix Diner for over twenty years. While John’s grind continues, we think the 24/7 diner has passed, but those diner staples are still available from that typical 10-page diner menu. You’ve got the bar and stools, you’ve got booths, you have the stainless steel and neon sign. John has all that. But when you get greeted by John as you walk in the door, you immediately feel welcome. His son then takes you to an open booth to get you situated, then John comes by; the unknowingly person that’s not only the diner owner, but he’s a stand up comedian as well. You’ll learn that if you listen to a few of his Jersey quips!
Bendix: Site Unseen Documentary
Filmmaker Anthony Scalia says he spent his whole life driving past the venerable Bendix Diner—an old-fashioned, stainless steel fixture on the median between Route 17 North and South in Hasbrouck Heights—and never pulled over. And then he did; he just had to tell the story in film. He spent the next three years to create this story on film. We must find when and where the film will ultimately be released.
If you get the opportunity, find the film at one of their film festivals and enjoy. It’s fantastic. You can also watch an interview with Anthony Scalia and Steve Adabado Jr. on PBS as they discuss John, his diner, his family, and the documentary process.
Interview with Anthony Scalia on NJN
I still can’t believe this story. I am changed for life, knowing that if John can do what he does, I can do everything I think I can’t.
Just remember what John goes thru everyday and he still carries on. In my mind, he’s the ultimate Jersey Ambassador. Thanks John for your hospitality and allowing us to visit you and your family (Tony, Dimitri and Michael) at the Bendix Diner.
Brooks Betz
Additional MLH Foodie History Posts
I took my daughter to Bendix diner on Saturday. We go to diners together in Bergen county.Bendix is her favorite now! Why? Because her Daddy knows lots of fun Jersey spots and Bendix is one of them. John.