Nicole Martyn

The Forest Diner

The Forest Diner, an original Silk-City dining car (now hidden behind additions and siding) has dished out coffee and eggs in Howard County, Md. since 1946 - when the county was more farmland than wealthy sleeper-suburb. Sixty years and two owners later, the diner boasts some of the same loyal customers - and the business struggles to find its niche among a rapidly changing demographic.

  
Love-struck teens have been sharing milkshakes at the Forest Diner for 60 years. Here, Daniel Gonzalez, 19, and Cathy Cannizzo, 15, cuddle before ordering dinner - then a strawberry milkshake with two straws.
   
When Will Reich bought the Forest Diner in 1998, he updated the diner by bringing in more of the past. Now, the walls in the dining rooms are lined with tchotchskies, kitsch and memorabilia from years gone by, like these Betty Boop figurines and singing fish.
     
  
Waitress Diana Rader and jokes with customer Larry Sturgill during a slow night at the diner. At left is waitress Jamie Cain. Sturgill, 62, grew up in the area and has come to the diner for as long as he can remember. "The diner just grows on you," says waitress Barbara Carroll. "We're like a big family. People don't come here because of the food."
   
Birthday girl Abigail Fontana (hat) chose the Forest Diner for her 6th birthday dinner. Here she is pictured with big brother Michael, 7, (left), uncle Robert Schmidt and little brother Jonathan, 4 (right).
   
The diner has increased revenue by renting out its space to groups. This couple exchanged their vows in the dining car during an April 1950s-themed wedding.
     
  
"A lot of our customers are getting up there in age," says owner Will Reich about the Forest Diner's Thursday night dinner shows. "Back in my day, these are the performers that we'd all go see." Thirty dollars gets you dinner and an impersonator performace - and in bed by 10 p.m. - which is important for older folks, says Reich. Here, Elvis (Tom Connelly of Pasadena, Md.) sings at a recent show.