Their objective was to better understand how the classic American diner had been successful for more than 100 years.

But Ernie's was in a square, squat, anonymous brick building, which patently lacked the streamlined glamour of a classic diner.

But no more than a thousand of these, at the outside, are what could be called "classic" diners, and the number of those diminishes yearly.

P Map What more could you want from a classic diner?

Jerry Berta is an artist that produces ceramic replicas of classic diners, with the original Rosie's as one of his inspirations.

This is a classic old-style rectangular diner, one of the few places in New York where you can get slices of authentic country ham.

"We're a classic old American diner," said Alex Poulis, an owner.

It is one of the best preserved classic diners in America, with close to 100% of the original features still intact.

Perhaps this is why Bill Clinton and Bob Dole both chose classic diners as a campaign rally site during the last presidential election.

More than 95 percent of "classic" diners have been manufactured in factories and shipped out to the site ready to operate.