40 Once-Popular American Diners That Are No Longer Around

Local legend holds that George Crum, a chef who made the first chips for Cornelius Vanderbilt, created the potato chip at Moon’s Lake House. Vanderbilt had complained about Crum’s potatoes being too thick, so Crum, in his frustration, invented the potato chip inadvertently.

Moon’s was one of the oldest restaurants in America, having been founded in 1853 by Cary Moon. Though it burned down in 1893, it was rebuilt and changed hands several times (it also burnt down twice more). Eventually, it finally closed in 1983 after a final fourth fire.