FSU Opens New Diner

FM Staff

In the 1950s, the local diner was the place to hang out for teens not old enough to go to bars and not affluent enough to afford traditional restaurants. That same sort of mindset is behind Park Avenue Diner, a new restaurant concept from Aramark Corp. The country's first Park Avenue Diner opened earlier this summer on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahasee.

"Park Avenue is right in the middle of campus, within walking distance of many of the dorms," says Robin Crouch, marketing programs manager for Seminole Dining, the university's dining services department, which is managed by Ara-mark. "The intent is to make it a place for students to meet and socialize at any time without going off campus."

To that end, Park Avenue will be open 24-hours a day, seven days a week once full-time classes begin in the fall (the diner opened in early July with more limited hours). With 95 seats plus a counter, it isn't massive but provides an attractive setting for socializing and just "hanging out." The menu includes breakfast items served all day, as well as diner staples like burgers, fries and shakes. Students can pay either cash or use the university's Garnet Bucks debit account system.