cite any sources . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . december 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message franks diner franks diner in 2015 restaurant information food type american city kenosha state wisconsin country united states coordinates 42 35 01 n 087 49 03 w 42.58361 n 87.81750 w 42.58361 ; 87.81750 coordinates 42 35 01 n 087 49 03 w 42.58361 n 87.81750 w 42.58361 ; 87.81750 franks diner in kenosha wisconsin is a jerry o mahony diner company lunch car diner built in bayonne new jersey . contents 1 history 2 celebrity patrons 3 media attention 4 references 5 external links history edit in 1926 the dining car was transported on a railroad flat car to kenosha . it was then pulled by six horses to the downtown spot near the shoreline of lake michigan where it stands today . anthony franks who first learned of the restaurant opportunity through a magazine article paid 7 500 plus 325 in shipping charges to launch franks diner . over the years there have been few changes in the structural appearance of the franks diner . the original lunch car has an open grill and counter with 17 stools . a small dining room which now contains seven booths was added in 1935 and a larger kitchen in the mid 1940s . the franks family operated franks diner continuously until 2001 when they sold it to lynn groleau chris schwartz and kris derwae . derwae sold her share to groleau and schwartz in 2006 . in december 2010 kevin ervin and julie rittmiller purchased the restaurant and said they have no plans for changes in franks diner s operations . many renovations have been completed on franks diner since 2001 . the original kitchen then pantry was renovated into an additional dining area . the arched wooden ceiling and much woodwork was restored . removing layers of paint uncovered the original franks diner hand lettered sign painted on what was the outer side of the original dining car now facing the inside of the main dining area . celebrity patrons edit in past years vaudeville and other entertainment acts at local theaters were popular . many performers including the three stooges bela lugosi duke ellington liberace and members of the lawrence welk orchestra dined at franks . recent celebrity sightings include chicago news anchor ron magers ; lonnie quinn of all my children santa barbara and current chief meteorologist for cbs in new york ; michael schumacher author of crossroads the life and music of eric clapton dharma lion a critical biography of allen ginsberg mighty fitz the sinking of the edmund fitzgerald ; and peter tork band member of the monkees . the most recent celebrity sighting is food network host guy fieri of guy s big bite and diners drive ins & dives . media attention edit franks diner was featured on the food network series diners drive ins and dives in may 2007 . in addition to this national exposure franks diner also has been featured on wgn channel 9 in chicago . on august 4 2004 the new york times interviewed franks diner patrons as part of the story an american debate how severe the threat franks diner has been featured in numerous travel magazines newspapers and on radio programs . references edit this section is empty . you can help by adding to it . january 2016 external links edit official website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title frank % 27s diner & oldid 712534341 categories restaurants in wisconsinbuildings and structures in kenosha wisconsindinersvisitor attractions in kenosha county wisconsinrestaurants established in 1926commercial buildings completed in 1926hidden categories articles lacking sources from december 2015all articles lacking sourcescoordinates on wikidataarticles to be expanded from january 2016all articles to be expandedarticles with empty sections from january 2016all articles with empty sectionsarticles using small message boxes navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages add links this page was last modified on 29 march 2016 at 17 31 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; additional terms may apply . by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy . wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation inc. a non profit organization . privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia developers cookie statement mobile view