Food for Thought: Idea for First Diner in US Cooked Up in Rhode Island

Walter Scott came up with the concept of a food wagon in the 1800s.

Friends eating fast food at the table in the diner
BGStock72
Share
Friends eating fast food at the table in the diner
BGStock72
Food for Thought: Idea for First Diner in US Cooked Up in Rhode Island
Copy

Did you know that the good old-fashioned American diner originated in Rhode Island?

Walter Scott was a pressman in Rhode Island, working first for the Providence Evening Press and then for the Morning Star. His dream of being a young entrepreneur led him to quit his job, and in 1872 he began selling food out of a horse-pulled wagon.

That led to the diner as we know it today, perfected in the early 20th century by Jerry O’Mahony.

Get the full story in the reel below.

From choir takeovers to Krampus markets, here are our picks for what to see and do across Rhode Island this week
From housing and health care to AI and economic anxiety, Amo says his party must reconnect with voters at home and present a stronger alternative to Trump
Facility owners and inspectors trade accusations over recalled sprinkler heads and missed warnings after the state’s deadliest fire in decades
Judge Patti Saris ruled in favor of a coalition of state attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C. that challenged Trump’s Day One order that paused leasing and permitting for wind energy projects
Free programs across nine library branches bring holiday fun, hands-on crafts and thoughtful conversations — including a gingerbread house build-off, winter workshops and discussions on menopause and media
This cabbage roll soup has all the comforting flavors of traditional cabbage rolls — tender cabbage, hearty turkey, warm spices, and rich tomato broth — but without the fuss. It’s a one-pot, simmer-until-cozy kind of meal that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible.