People generally associate diners with the East Coast. But in fact, diners were onceprolific around the Great Lakes. These simple, purpose-built eateries were found insmall towns and big cities from Syracuse, New York to Chicago, Illinois and beyond.From the popularity of the lunch wagon, to the small boom of the 1920s, there is astory to be told. Diners of the Great Lakes begins to tell the story of the many dinermanufacturers and operators in and around the Great Lakes region.