Silver Diner - History

History

In 1988, Silver Diner co-founders Robert Giaimo and Chef Ype Von Hengst sought to establish an American family cuisine restaurant that bridged the gap between fast food chains and tablecloth restaurants. Giaimo and Von Hengst spent a year visiting more than 500 diner-styled restaurants in small towns and large cities across the country. Their objective was to better understand how the classic American diner had been successful for more than 100 years.

In 1989, Giaimo and Von Hengst opened the original Silver Diner in Rockville, Maryland. Today, this original location has annual sales of $6 million and remains one of the busiest restaurants of its sizes in the United States. It is the largest chain of diners in America with the highest average sales per store of its kind. Silver Diner Development, Inc. operates 15 restaurants in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States with locations in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia, and employs more than 1,100 people.

In 2007, Silver Diner established its first airport location with the opening of its sixteenth restaurant in the AirMall at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). In 2009, Metro Diner Café by Silver Diner opened in Annapolis, Maryland, operating on a smaller footprint than the Silver Diner Classic freestanding restaurants.

In 2011, Silver Diner released a new commercial promoting their "Fresh and Local" initiative. It featured three local kids (Josh, Malachi, and Sedona) and played on cable stations. The commercial has stopped running however.