OPINION: A diner is NOT a ‘greasy spoon’
Recently, to my surprise, I have seen many online references to diners as “greasy spoons” on the web. I have seen this misuse of the term on local blogs (one called the El Greco diner in Sheepshead Bay a greasy spoon, which is akin to calling a Mercedes Benz a jalopy) and even in the New York Post. I first saw diners referred to as greasy spoons about two years ago, which leads me to believe that this use of the term is fairly recent.
For the record, throughout most of my life, a “greasy spoon” referred to a small, unhygienic luncheonette that has about 10 items on the menu, has wobbly counter stools and a cracked counter and fries everything on the same griddle throughout the day. The very name “greasy spoon” connotes unhygienic conditions – it means the spoon is still greasy when they give it to you, meaning that they didn’t do such a good job of washing it.
Today, because of changing populations, the rise of fast-food joints and higher commercial rents, the number of these places is declining. But in my childhood, they were plentiful, and usually had a sign saying “luncheonette” outside. There usually was one person behind the counter who often didn’t make much of an effort to be nice to the customers. Nobody ate in these places if they could help it.
By contrast, most diners are extremely clean, occupy a large amount of space, are very well-lit and have waiters or waitresses who are very helpful. Just the large number of offerings on the typical New York City menu takes these establishments out of the realm of “greasy spoons.”