It was a splendid day in May on Kearny Point. The Pike View Diner, located along the Route 9 corridor at the crossroads of North Hackensack Avenue, in the shadows of the New Jersey Turnpike and the Pulaski Skyway, was up and running, receiving customers, which meant a vintage Jersey diner had been saved from demolition.
The Pike View reopened on April 1 and offers a ray of hope in the ongoing “diner downturn” saga in the Diner Capital of the World. As reported here, another classic, factory-built eatery —the stainless steel Roadside Diner in Wall Township, manufactured in Paterson in 1949 by Silk City Diners —is about to be reborn under new ownership.
The Pike View, a modular, prefabricated diner produced by the Kullman Dining Car Company, is a case study in diner evolution and survival. Built in the mid-1940s, it was originally located in New York City and relocated to Kearny Point in 1948, where it was known as the Arena Diner. The Kolokithas family purchased the business in 1989 and operated for nearly 30 years as the Truck Stop Diner, an homage to its next-door neighbor, the New Jersey Truck Stop—a hub for intermodal big rigs traveling in and out of Port Elizabeth and Port Newark.
New owners remodeled the diner with a bright red metal exterior around 2020, renaming it the Bridge View Diner (it’s a stone’s throw from the Lincoln Highway Hackensack River Bridge). However, by 2022, the diner had closed, was put up for sale, and was later slated to be torn down. That’s when the current owner, Dennis Centanni, received a call from an associate in the demolition business.
“My friend told me about a diner in Kearny that was going to be demolished,” Centanni recalled. “He said: ‘I think you might be interested in this place’. My partner (Steven Carr) and I looked at it and we took it,” explaining it was an easy decision, as they quickly recognized the diner’s potential.
Centanni has been working in the food and restaurant industry since 1988, owning restaurants and bakeries in northern and central New Jersey. He also spent time in the corporate world. His family, most notably, has owned and operated Centanni’s Prime Meats in Elizabeth for several generations. “There’s something about the food business. It just draws you in,” he explained, gesturing with his hands.
Todd John Peirone, a master chef, and Centanni have been associates for a quarter-century. In previous years, they operated Revolution Foods, a business dedicated to providing thousands of healthy meals for schools and community groups in Edison.
Centanni praised Peirone’s creativity as a chef. Like Centanni, Peirone has had a long journey in the food business, running kitchens in northern New Jersey restaurants and taverns.
“I’ve always had a joy for cooking. I enjoy feeding people,” Peirone confessed, adding that he considers music and food among the best things in life. Years ago, he had planned to hone his skills at a New York City culinary school, but the school director must have seen something special in Peirone. “He told me I would earn money and learn more about cooking if I worked in a restaurant, rather than pay the school money to teach me.”
The Pike View glistens inside and out, with its stainless steel accoutrements and black and white checkerboard floor tiles. The menu features a variety of grilled chicken entrees, chili cheeseburgers, a “monster” stuffed grilled cheese sandwich, broccoli rabe with pan-seared Italian sausage, quesadillas with lamb or chorizo, chicken wings with an exotic Hawaiian Kaho’Olawe glaze of peppers and pineapples, pancakes, and all the familiar diner egg dishes and salads. One recurring dessert item on the menu, no doubt in high demand among customers, is a “Blueberry Blast” milkshake.
It was approaching noon, and in preparation for the lunch crowd, a tray of assorted, crispy empanadas was placed in a display case on the counter. Eight German tourists entered the Pike View Diner and sat down, looking very happy and hungry. The bright red façade of the diner had caught their eye as they were motoring on the highway. Construction workers dropped in to pick up take-out meals.
Another vintage Jersey diner is serving customers, saved from demolition; a cause for celebration. Another chapter of the Garden State’s history has been saved, preserving memories for many. Another example of iconic, 20th-century American industrial design has been preserved; a distinctive roadside attraction to trumpet New Jersey’s bold spirit and culture. Yes, it was a splendid day in May on Kearny Point, and all is well at the Pike View Diner.
Pike View Diner
1 North Hackensack Ave.
Kearny, NJ
https://www.thepikeviewdinernj.com/
