I just looked at the floor plan again. They would have had to move the leftmost stool in line with the rest of them for a folding counter to work to work. are there bolt holes in the floor to show that that was done?
I'm thinking an open top rectangular wall-mounted container that held napkins and straws that could be easily accessed at the walk-up window.
Really cool! Glad to see you restoring a part of my local history. I've heard about these valentine diners all my life but never run across one until about 2017. They have a motorcycle museum in Augusta KS (Twisted Oz) and they have one inside their museum (not restored). Those guys there seem to have a lot of knowledge about the history of those diners. Very cool motorcycle museum and maybe a good source of information for you.
It is a great thing that you're doing this project, @KCTA Chris. I love that you may be able to get some funding and help with it, and that something this rare and special will be restored. With no bathroom, there must have been some unique situations over the years! There must have been water and a drain for cooking.
Thanks for the kind words — yeah, having no bathroom in today’s world is hard to even imagine. It’s funny to think that the actual building restoration and equipment costs aren’t all that bad; it’s basically like doing a car build. It’s the back addition, the lot, and the development work that are going to turn into a financial mess. I have a feeling bank officers won’t be eager to approve a loan for a burger stand with eight stools, lol.
Good Eye! Thats the Vendo-90 a little taller. Had a '48 Fridgidare but something about pulling out a bottle made me sell the Fridge and pick this one up.
Sorry for the delay — it’s been a busy couple of weeks. Car projects have a way of taking over: I had to set up a new 8" Ford third member and get a ’70s Bobcat prepped for winter maintenance. The best part, though, was spending time with my oldest son. He stepped away from that twin-turbo computer love and picked up his first vintage hot-rod frame and engine. That’s the kind of dad time you don’t p*** up. Diner Progress I’ve been double-checking a few details with the county health department that affect the rebuild plan. It took a bit of navigating the chain of command to reach someone who really understood the project. As expected, my stove is too old to appear on the approved equipment list. I could drop in a new one, but there’s something special about burgers cooked on an 80-year-old grill. Good news: they’ll allow me to keep it with a third part certification inspection. I also plan to add filtration and fire suppression over the grill with minimal visual impact. There’s still some discussion about workspace layout, but if the location I’m aiming for p***es review, they can grant me some flexibility — even within a historic district. On the structural side, I’m still working on removing the window ca*****ts and separating the interior and exterior pieces. I realized they rolled the seams together on-site, so I started modifying a wheel-weight removal tool to help split them. So far, it’s doing the job. Updated pics this week.
That's awesome. There's actually a diner in Frankenmuth that was rescued and refurbed out of New Jersey somewhere I think the waitress told me? We go here once a year. Food is awesome. Highly recommended if anyone makes it to Michigan.
Very cool! I had the opportunity to get a similar restaurant years ago but p***ed it on to a much better person as far as chances that it would get restored. It is now restored back to what it looked like when new and operational in Guthrie, OK at that friends place. They have since acquired another one but it hasn't been restored.
What a great project. Cozy Inn in Salina KS is a 6 stool diner since 1922.... Let me know if you need any help.
Ive seen this one posted in the FB group, they did a great job. They found a clever way to cover the lower panels (usually rusted out) with trim that blends into the original lines. Very well done.
It’s been about a week, and the other car projects have kept me tied up—but I’m still making progress. I removed the damaged two-piece window section on the front side. From what I can tell, it was manufactured elsewhere and purchased by Valentine, then cut to length for each window unit. The corners were leaded together using small metal s****s as corner supports. I’ve searched everywhere for a supplier, but I can’t find any metal stock that matches the original shape. Hopefully I can find a metal shop willing to bend new stainless pieces for the window frame. With the frame out, I was able to pull away the lower interior wall section. As I suspected, each cavity has about 10 inches of vermiculite settled at the bottom. Time and moisture bowed out both the interior masonite wall and the outer sheet metal. I’d love to leave it alone, but to do the restoration right, it needs to come out, at least on the lower sections. More plastic sheeting and another particle separator are on the way so I can handle the abatement properly - I hope. I'll get some pics this week.
Slow progress… I feel like I’ve been working hard over the last several weeks, but there’s not much visual payoff yet. Still, here’s where things stand. So far, five 5-gallon buckets of vermiculite have been removed from the front wall area. I keep wondering if I’m going overboard with the protective gear, but I’d rather be cautious. The twin collectors and vacuum have actually done a surprisingly great job. After removal, I’ve been applying a mix of Elmer’s glue and water to the exposed areas to lock down any particles that might have been missed. I’m still on the hunt for a local shop that can fabricate a new stainless window frame section. Three shops said the job was either too small or that they’d need to change the design to suit their automated equipment—which won’t work, since matching the original is the whole point. This really requires hand work, and surprisingly, two shops didn’t even have a hand-operated brake or shear—just lasers and computers. I get that no shop can stay in business waiting on my specific needs, but I honestly thought this would be easier. At this point, I’m looking into buying an 8' brake and a 6' stomp shear. In the shop, I’m rearranging things to make room for removing the counter and sink area. That should make a big difference in usable workspace once it’s done. Over the holidays, I took a road trip to Columbia, MO to visit Dave and his Valentine Diner. It’s a newer-style model, and Dave was incredibly friendly and inspiring. Talking through small-scale operations and marketing with him gave me a lot of mental comfort. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth checking out. Lastly, another diner is being salvaged: the Hot Rod Hangout in Galena, KS. The owner already has the shell of one tiny diner, and this will give him a second shell—so I’m not sure if it’s an addition or something else entirely. Either way, I hope he gets it going.
I definitely know the feeling. Working on old buildings can be like that (and old cars, too). And way better to be overly cautious than to throw caution to the wind when dealing with old building materials, you're doing it the right way.
Check into HVAC places. The one I worked next to had a shear and a brake to form their own ducting. Stainless that's thicker is going to be a challenge for them, but you might find a place that is willing.
The Jalopy Journal
