Rosie’s Diner a Shadow of Its Former Glory Days [Video]

What fond memories we all have of Rosie's Diner, up by Cedar Springs. The history, food, ambiance, friendly staff, and the beauty of the restored diner all made for a wonderful experience. It's sad to say, all of that glory is long gone.

I found this Facebook post from Richard Bursley with pictures of Rosie's as we see it today. It's pretty sad.

Rosie's Diner really gained its fame because of the Bounty paper towels commercials made there. They were filmed at the diner during the 1970s when it was known as the Farmland Diner in Little Ferry, New Jersey. Clumsy patrons would knock over beverages, and Rosie the Waitress, played by Nancy Walker, would clean up the mess using Bounty paper towels, "the quicker picker-upper".

Around 1990, Jerry Berta, the local artist who produced ceramic replicas of classic diners, with the original Rosie's as one of his inspirations, found out it was for sale and quickly snapped it up. What a deal, as he paid $10,000 for the 24-by-60-foot building. Work crews sawed the diner in half the week after it closed in 1990 in New Jersey to load it on flatbed trucks for it's trip to Michigan, and it opened on July 5, 1991. Years later, Berta sold it to Jonelle Roest in January of 2006.

Rosie's Diner closed for good on October 2, 2011. There are other Rosie's around the country, now, but there's nothing quite like our original. RIP Rosie.