The list is always changing as diners open, close, and change ownership, Jon said. But of 130 places they haven\u2019t visited, the majority will bring them to South Jersey \u2014 stretching from the Philly suburbs to the Jersey Shore<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the same time, the long-time Bergen County residents are now considering a potential move a little further south, so far looking around Red Bank and Hamilton Township.<\/p>\n After Karri\u2019s recent retirement from a 40-year nursing career, the couple is hoping to downsize, and because of their years-long effort, they \u201chave no choice\u201d but to stay in New Jersey \u2014 at least until they cross that final diner off their list, Karri joked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not because of the diner project,\u201d Jon added, \u201cbut it\u2019ll help with the diner project.\u201d<\/p>\n Keeping the tradition alive<\/p>\n It all began in 2015 when the Hillsdale couple, married for 42 years this summer, stopped at the Livingston Diner in North Jersey after visiting with family in the hospital.<\/p>\n Karri took the first of the now-famous menu photos to which Jon jokingly suggested, \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be cool if we take this same picture at every diner in the state?\u201d<\/p>\n More than 11 years and 330 meals later, the couple is still chasing that goal, documenting the project on their Instagram, @NJDinerJourney<\/a>, and as of a few months ago, a new website<\/a>. <\/p>\n Now with over 6,000 followers, Karri and Jon have become something of unofficial spokespeople for the preservation of diners and diner culture in New Jersey. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been fun,\u201d Jon said. \u201cIt feels good to be sort of an ambassador to the state. We just never expected it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJersey is known for its diners, but you go to any small town anywhere in America, they\u2019re going to have a little coffee shop or a little luncheonette and that\u2019s their diner. So people can relate to that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n When they first started their journey, the couple counted between 500 and 550 total diners in the state, Jon said.<\/p>\n They have since watched that number fall<\/a> to about 400, he said, with fewer than two dozen around-the-clock operations still standing \u2014 the retro-inspired Falcon Diner among them.<\/p>\n With its chrome trim and neon striping, the Falcon \u2014 which locals may know better under its previous names, most recently the Empire Diner and the Brooklawn Diner before that \u2014 is one of the few places still carrying on the \u201cany food at any hour\u201d ethos that has made the New Jersey diner so timeless.<\/p>\n From construction workers grabbing a pre-sunrise breakfast to college kids looking for a late-night meal, the 24-hour diner has long been a central gathering place where everyone in the community is welcome to sit down for an affordable, filling meal, or simply a conversation and a cup of coffee (bottomless, of course).<\/p>\n \u201cWe really want to keep that tradition alive and support small businesses,\u201d Jon said. \u201cJust about every one is a small business.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018How\u2019s everything, hon\u2019?\u2019<\/p>\n The couple\u2019s trips are rarely planned more than a day or two in advance.<\/p>\n Typically the conversation starts with some version of: \u201cWill this be a Parkway day, a Turnpike day, or a Route 80 day?\u201d<\/p>\n They pick one, find a diner along the route, and then they\u2019re off, they said.<\/p>\n After quickly working their way through what Jon calls the \u201clow-hanging fruit\u201d \u2014 the diners closest to them in North Jersey \u2014 the couple has started venturing into South Jersey more often.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been an interesting journey,\u201d Jon said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a lot of the state that we normally would not have seen.\u201d<\/p>\n Because their trips often take them to towns they\u2019ve never visited, they also make an effort to check out the community before they head home, whether it be a stroll through a nearby park or a visit to a local farmer\u2019s market or museum.<\/p>\n After a recent visit to the Legacy Diner in Audubon, they perused downtown Haddonfield<\/a>, where Karri fell in love with the English Gardener Gift Shop before they grabbed a drink at King\u2019s Road Brewing.<\/p>\n What qualifies as a diner?<\/p>\n For the Ricklins, the criteria is pretty simple: If it\u2019s called a diner or serves traditional diner food, it\u2019s most likely going to make the list.<\/p>\n For places that don\u2019t have the word \u201cdiner\u201d in the title, such as Maple Shade\u2019s Maple Hill Restaurant or the White House Restaurant in Moorestown<\/a>, it comes down to the type of food and experience they provide, Jon said.<\/p>\n A few requirements: A menu offering \u201cclassic diner food,\u201d American fare at minimum but often a lot more, including all-day breakfast. A brightly lit dessert display case. Pots of fresh coffee at the ready.<\/p>\n Some Jersey diner purists they\u2019ve heard from online approach the question differently and don\u2019t agree with their methodology, he said, and they\u2019re OK with that.<\/p>\n The Ricklins\u2019 main goal is to have fun together and support small businesses in the process, he said, so in his mind, the more the merrier. <\/p>\n And as usual, North and South Jersey do things a little differently. <\/p>\n Beyond the perennial debate about what to call pork roll, a few more regional quirks have emerged over the years. Meals get a bit pricier the further north you are, for instance, but they rarely come with the cup of soup that is customary in many diners down south, they said.<\/p>\n They also noted South Jersey servers are quicker to throw out a warm \u201chon\u2019\u201d when greeting the table.<\/p>\n As more people have taken notice of their journey, Jon said they sometimes get recognized when they\u2019re taking the requisite menu shot. They were even invited to join former Gov. Phil Murphy<\/a> and his wife for a diner lunch to celebrate National New Jersey Day in 2024, he said.<\/p>\n But for the most part, they\u2019re still anonymous, just another table of happy patrons chatting over a meal.<\/p>\n And while they don\u2019t expect anyone else to start their own diner journey, they are hoping that their story inspires people to try something new, even if it\u2019s just a visit one town over. <\/p>\n \u201cJust get off the couch and go,\u201d Karri said. <\/p>\n Inquirer South Jersey<\/p>\n A weekday newsletter<\/p>\n Want to get Inquirer South Jersey straight to your inbox every weekday? Sign up here for the most relevant information about Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties.<\/p>\n![\"Inquirer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/I_circle_black.png\")
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