Haven Brothers Diner facts for kids
Haven Brothers Diner is a super old restaurant on wheels in Providence, Rhode Island. It's one of the oldest in America! It started way back in 1893 as a lunch wagon pulled by horses. (Though the truck itself says 1888!)
History of Haven Brothers Diner
In 1888, a woman named Anne Philomena Haven started this diner business. She used money from her husband Patrick's life insurance to buy the first "lunch cart." This first cart was a wagon pulled by horses. She bought it in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Her daughter Catherine Gannon and Catherine's husband Dennis Gannon helped run the diner. Their young sons, William and John, also helped out. Dennis later sold the business to his daughters Catherine, Anne, Tibertus, and Marian.
The Haven family owned the diner until 1953. Then, the Mollicone family bought it. Later, other owners included Jack Ferry and the Giusti family.
Every evening at 4:30 PM, the owner moves the diner to a special spot. It's a 1949 Fred W. Morse diner car, which is the third wagon in the diner's history. It parks at the corner of Dorrance and Fulton streets. This spot is right next to the Providence City Hall and Kennedy Plaza. After it closes, the diner is moved back to Federal Hill.
Haven Brothers on TV
One time, Haven Brothers Diner traveled far from Providence. On April 9, 2008, the diner went to New York City! It parked outside the NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. This was for the Today Show.
The show's hosts, Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer, had both worked in Providence before. Their old studio was very close to the diner. They both picked Haven Brothers as their favorite old-time diner.
