Where Have All the Diners Gone?

"On a downtown street corner saturated with the shadowy azures of vacant storefronts, a late-night diner hosts three nocturnal customers. Theirs is a peculiar and disjointed congregation without narrative or context, but the iconic tableau, titled Nighthawks (1942) and painted by American artist Edward Hopper (1882-1967), has endured as a classic image of World War II-era New York City. In a way, Hopper’s portrayal is timeless: three-quarters of a century later, diners are still hosting night owls. But these venues are vanishing – a 2015 Crain’s article informed by the New York City department of health reported that diners had seen a 60 percent decline in the previous 25 years – due to rising rents and discerning millennial palates vetoing greasy-spoon fare. ..."
The Culture Trip