(Editor's note: We are reprinting a story about the Mayfair Diner that originally appeared in the Times in a 1995 tribute to the Northeast and its history. The story looked at the history of the venerable diner and its appeal among longtime patrons.)

If only the walls of the Mayfair Diner could talk.

Perhaps they could tell stories of the incalculable number of people who have passed through its doors. Maybe they could recall the names of those who regularly took a seat at the counter and sipped on coffee -- back in the days when it cost a mere 5 cents a cup. Or maybe they could simply share memories of the way things used to be.

Since its modest beginning in 1932, a lot has changed at the Mayfair Diner. Then again, if you look closely, much has stayed the same.

Amid the quiet chatter of customers, the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and the hectic -- but organized -- pace of waitresses, there's a certain nostalgia at the diner.

There's something about it -- maybe it's the reminiscent American Diner-look, or perhaps it's the squeaky-clean booths and counters. Then again, maybe it's the food.

No matter how you slice it, the Mayfair Diner has been a long-standing piece of American pie.

Its success hinges on its loyal, steady customers.

"Once people come here, they never leave," says Bonnie Boyer, a faithful customer for 20 years.

Judging from its packed parking lot and dining area, the Mayfair Diner has long proved itself to be one of the Northeast's jewels.

"It's been a tradition in the Northeast," said Jack Mulholland, who owns the diner with his brother, Ed. "It's the continuity. We have customers come in who've moved away. We have couples who've gotten engaged here. People have come here after their proms and for dates. We have people who used to come in as babies... now they bring their babies in."

Cooking up the idea

There's no doubt, the Mayfair tells the story of the American diner quite well.

The owners started in a new dining car produced by Jerry O'Mahony, of Bayonne, N.J., a pioneer in diner construction. But they didn't start in Mayfair.

In 1928, the new dining car -- known as the Morrison and Struhm Diner -- was settled into place at 41st and Chestnut streets, promoting its hearty, home-style cookin'.

Two years before, Henry Struhm, a machinist, and his buddy Tom Morrison, a politician, had ventured into the food business by setting up a cart on South Broad Street and selling hot dogs and cold drinks at America's Sesquicentennial celebration. Struhm's brother-in-law, Ed Mulholland Sr., helped out too.

In 1932, the entrepreneurs moved their diner north into Mayfair, at the time mostly farmland, and among a handful of estates at Frankford and Ryan avenues.

Moving the business was a hunch, Ed Mulholland Sr. says.

"Mayfair was an up-and-coming section," recalls Mulholland, 86.

In 1941, the diner was moved again, this time a few blocks north on Frankford Avenue, to Bleigh Street, its current location. A new Jerry O'Mahony model replaced the original diner.

"They were the Cadillacs of dining cars," Mulholland said of the O'Mahony models.

Eventually, a third diner was purchased from O'Mahony -- one of the last made -- and placed on the lot. A cinder-block annex, covered in stainless steel to maintain the look of the O'Mahony diner, was added to the existing eatery, making the Mayfair look very much as it does today.

While the gleaming steel of many diners has been replaced with stone, the Mulholland family has meticulously maintained the classic facade of the Mayfair Diner.

"When everyone was changing, I thought about it," said Jack Mulholland, 51. "But I think we have something unique, so we stuck it out. We took a chance and we are recognized for it."

Not just for men

The Mayfair Diner has been featured in the Delaware Valley Diner Tour Guide, Zagat Philadelphia Restaurant Survey, American Diner, Roadside and several other publications.

"I think we're really at our peak right now," Mulholland said. "Diners are in vogue now. And we're often held up as what you want a diner to be. To change would be foolish. We want to be the best diner there is. Being recognized is our applause."

Like most diners of its time, the Mayfair Diner originally catered to men. It just wasn't socially acceptable in the '30s for women to walk into diners.

"Back then, ladies wouldn't be caught dead in a bar or in a diner. That's the way it was," Mulholland said.

But during the financially tough times of the Depression, the Mulholland family worked hard to attract female customers. A special ladies entrance, a sign outside of the building that proclaimed "Ladies welcome," and booth seating were added to the diner.

The first menu featured fried oysters, for 5 cents each, or six oysters on the half shell for 20 cents; homemade pies for 50 cents; and hamburgers for 10 cents (with no extra charge for onion or toast). There also were daily supper and Sunday specials for 40 cents.

Also on the menu was the diner's motto: "Quick Service, Quality and Cleanliness." An invitation for ladies to dine was imprinted on the 1932 menu.

But the menu featured a particularly special message: The Housewives of Mayfair: We invite you and yours to try the above mentioned special. Make it a habit to dine with us at least once a week. It will be both a treat and rest for you. Your husband will enjoy a nice Oyster Supper which we carry at all times. Come in and let us get acquainted.

Part of the Mayfair Diner's appeal is its hours. It is never closed, except for Christmas Day.

specials of the day

Maybe that's one of the reasons so many notable people have passed through its doors. Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Frank Rizzo, Ed Rendell, Bobby Clarke, Bobby Rydell and Fabian are among the celebrities who've eaten a meal at the Mayfair.

You may not recognize the name Augie Salvitti, but he's been eating at the Mayfair since 1942, when he lived down the block on Shelmire Avenue. Now he lives in Cherry Hill, N.J., but whenever he has the opportunity, he visits the Mayfair for a good, hot meal.

"I haven't lived here for fifteen years. But I can stop in at lunchtime and know somebody. You're comfortable here. You know you're going to get a decent meal at a decent price," he said.

Bonnie Boyer is 68 now, and she's been a "regular" for the past 20 years.

"This place has been everything for the Northeast," the Pennypack Woods resident said.

Her friend, Bea Cummings, 69, has been a customer since she was 12 years old.

"I just love it," she said. "They try to please you all the time."

And that's exactly what service manager Jo Hackett likes to hear.

"We've changed the food over the years to meet the customers' needs," said Hackett, an employee for 30 years. "The diner really hasn't changed that much in some respects."

Hackett, who applied for a part-time job in 1965 to raise enough money to buy a color television, says she has enough experiences to write a book. (By the way, she did get that TV.)

Hackett and co-worker Dolores Stuart, a Mayfair Diner waitress since 1968, have lots of memories.

One that sticks out in their minds is when the Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and the place was packed with customers.

"We had the only bathroom open on Frankford Avenue," Stuart recalled. "What a night."

Over the years, the Mayfair Diner has seen some changes. For one, the menu has expanded, the prices have gone up a little, and the original sign has been replaced with a more modern one.

But the goal has remained the same.

"We want people to be comfortable with us," said Ed Mulholland Jr., the diner's co-owner. "People feel safe here, they know the food. We have so many customers who treat this as their second home. We just want them to be happy."