SIGHTS
Booths nestled against smudged windows with a view of the street or parking lot, a long counter with stools spaced along it, laminated menus offering staple diner food (bacon and eggs, pancakes, burgers and fries, meat loaf, grilled cheese, patty melts, etc.), several fruit and meringue pies displayed under glass domes, metal napkin holders on each table along with salt and pepper shakers and a bottle of ketchup, well-scratched tabletops with chips around the edges and gum stuck to the bottom, dull metal cutlery with fork tines that may be slightly bent, a checkered tile floor, dingy curtains or dusty blinds, white coffee mugs, plates and bowls, a hard-looking waitress in uniform setting down a gravy-laden plate of food or baskets of fries, another waitress pouring coffee and jotting down orders, a cash register, a whiteboard with daily specials written on it, fry cooks wearing stained white aprons turning burgers on a grill, a jar for tips by the cash register, a not-too-clean public restroom, newspapers left on the counter, salt spilled on tables, bored customers (stacking creamers, folding up their paper placemats, nursing coffees), truckers wearing grease-stained ball caps and plaid shirts tucking into a large breakfast, stressed parents with loud children who are impatient for their food to arrive
SOUNDS
Cutlery clinking on tables and scratching against plates, the bubbly squish of a ketchup bottle, a waitress drawling out orders to the fry cook in diner-slang, a hacking smoker’s cough, stools that creak, truckers taking that first slurp of coffee to wake them up, waitresses rushing to get food orders out and dropping plates on the table with a thump, the gurgle of a water glass being filled, the clatter of change hitting the tabletop, a spoon clinking as it stirs sugar into coffee, the sizzle of burgers on the grill or fries being lowered into hot oil, the cook calling an order up, doors swinging open to a blast of outside traffic noise, bells on the doors ringing when a customer comes in, big trucks rumbling outside in the parking lot, a radio belting out music, the clunk of a coffee pot sliding back into the urn slot, the burp and hiss of a coffee machine brewing a fresh pot, customers asking for refills, friends talking and laughing, a customer grumbling over the bill or service
SMELLS
Meat grilling, onions frying, hot oil from the deep fryer, salty hot dogs, bacon grease, fragrant coffee, spices, tangy vinegar wafting off fresh coleslaw, melted butter, gravy, pine cleaner from a freshly washed floor, body odor and sweat
TASTES
Coffee, greasy fries, hamburgers, hot dogs, breakfast meals (steak and eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, grits, buttered toast, omelets), spicy chili, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, pepper, pies (blueberry, apple, strawberry, rhubarb, peach, lemon meringue), grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, saltine crackers, spices, water, carbonated pop, juice, milk, salads, milk shakes
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
A sticky spot on the counter, a greasy menu, spilled salt or sugar granules on the tabletop, the warmth of cutlery that has just come from the dishwasher, a hot mug of coffee on a cold day, the burst of steam against one’s face when blowing on coffee, trying to pull a napkin from an overstuffed holder and having it rip, bright light coming in the window which makes one squint, scraping a piece of dried food off a knife with a fingernail, a glob of food stuck to the corner of one’s mouth, squeezing a condiment bottle, a cold glass or can of pop against the palm, dragging fries through a puddle of gravy, a knife sawing through a piece of steak, warm plates, the resistance of metal when bending a mangled fork tine back into place, slouching back after a big meal, fake leather seat cushions sticking to one’s bare legs
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Being the victim of a dine and dash
Couples arguing during a night out
Another waitress stealing one’s tips
The cook quitting mid-shift
Someone complaining loudly about an order and disrupting everyone in the restaurant
A customer coming on to a waitress by grabbing at her
People who pay in change and don’t tip
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Customers, dishwashers, fry cooks, police officers, the owner, waitresses
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Bakery, coffeehouse, deli, fast food restaurant, truck stop
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Because of a diner’s long hours (often they never shut down), these places can contain an eclectic mix of people. Locals in for a serving of their favorite food mingle with on-duty police officers, truckers and salesmen who live on the road, young adults grabbing some late-night grease after a stint of bar hopping, and homeless people needing a break from the streets. Think of the varied conversations one might overhear and how different personalities could clash in such an environment.
The melting pot of people isn’t just on one side of the counter, either. Diners are often places where people who have struck out in life can find employment. Little education is needed to work as a fry cook, dishwasher, or waitress, meaning those who couldn’t go to school like they’d hoped or breadwinners forced to take a second job may serve alongside ex-cons, illegal immigrants, and individuals with shadowy pasts.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
The man stumbled in just after three a.m. and made for the back, the air in his wake as yeasty and sour as a spilled beer keg. At the halfway point, he lurched to the left just enough to hook a stool at the counter and a short tussle ensued. He almost went down for the count twice, but finally escaped the stool’s wrestling move and fell into a booth. I grabbed the extra strong pot of coffee, wishing for the hundredth time that I hadn’t agreed to switch shifts with Bethany.
Techniques and Devices Used: Multisensory descriptions, simile
Resulting Effects: Characterization, reinforcing emotion