New Jersey AJR 34: Designates October 1 of each year as "New Jersey Diner Day".

Bill Text

ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION
No. 34

STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION

Sponsored by:
Assemblyman PAUL KANITRA
District 10 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Assemblyman GREGORY P. MCGUCKIN
District 10 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Assemblywoman AURA K. DUNN
District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS
Designates October 1 of each year as “New Jersey Diner Day”.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

AJR34 KANITRA, MCGUCKIN
2

A JOINT RESOLUTION designating October 1 of each year as “New 1
Jersey Diner Day”. 2
3
WHEREAS, New Jersey is known as the “Diner Capital of the World”; 4
and 5
WHEREAS, The history of diners in New Jersey started during the rise 6
of the automobile in the 1910s and 1920s; and 7
WHEREAS, Jerry O’Mahony (born on October 1) and his brother, 8
whose family owned a tavern in Bayonne, New Jersey, owned 9
several horse drawn lunch wagons that operated throughout Hudson 10
County, New Jersey; and 11
WHEREAS, Realizing that there could be an industry in building the 12
food wagons themselves, the O’Mahony brothers hired a carpenter 13
to build a food wagon and sold it to a Jersey City restaurant 14
entrepreneur for $800; and 15
WHEREAS, In the decades that followed, nearly all of the major United 16
States diner builders, including Jerry O’Mahony Inc., began 17
operating in New Jersey; and 18
WHEREAS, These companies produced the factory-built, stainless-steel 19
eateries that often resembled shiny railroad cars and were examples 20
of Streamline Moderne architecture, a concept emphasizing sleek 21
lines and aerodynamic forms; and 22
WHEREAS, Due to New Jersey’s location between Philadelphia and 23
New York City, New Jersey built highly developed transportation 24
systems and road networks for commuters traveling between the 25
two metropolitan hubs; and 26
WHEREAS, As busy commuters traveled through New Jersey, the 27
State’s 24-hour diners became destinations to eat and rest; and 28
WHEREAS, Travelers and local residents alike sought out these diners 29
for an affordable, convenient meal, and many working class and 30
middle class residents of New Jersey found diners offered an 31
affordable meal for the entire family; and 32
WHEREAS, New Jersey is home to approximately 525 diners, the 33
largest number of diners in any state; and 34
WHEREAS, Diners play an important role in New Jersey’s economy 35
and culture and should be celebrated; now, therefore, 36
37
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate and General Assembly of the 38
State of New Jersey: 39
40
1. October 1 of each year is designated as “New Jersey Diner 41
Day”. 42
43
2. The Governor is respectfully requested to annually issue a 44
proclamation and call upon public officials, private organizations, 45
and all citizens of this State to observe “New Jersey Diner Day” 46
with appropriate awareness activities and programs. 47

AJR34 KANITRA, MCGUCKIN
3

3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately. 1
2
3
STATEMENT 4
5
This joint resolution designates October 1 of each year as “New 6
Jersey Diner Day”. 7
New Jersey is known as the “Diner Capital of the World”. The 8
history of diners in New Jersey started during the automobile 9
industry’s rise in the 1910s and 1920s wherein New Jersey diners 10
began as portable wooden food wagons. Jerry O’Mahony and his 11
brother of Bayonne, New Jersey, owned several lunch wagons that 12
operated throughout Hudson, County, New Jersey. The O’Mahony 13
brothers hired a carpenter to build their own food wagon and sold it 14
to a restaurant entrepreneur. In the decades that followed, nearly all 15
of the major United States diner builders, including Jerry 16
O’Mahony Inc., started operating in New Jersey. Due to New 17
Jersey’s location between Philadelphia and New York City, New 18
Jersey built highly developed transportation systems and road 19
networks for commuters traveling between the two metropolitan 20
hubs. As busy commuters traveled between these three states, New 21
Jersey’s 24-hour diners became destinations to eat and rest. 22
Travelers and locals alike sought out these diners for an affordable, 23
convenient meal. New Jersey is home to approximately 525 diners, 24
the most diners in any state. Diners play an important role in New 25
Jersey’s economy and culture and should be celebrated. 26