As more diners end 24-hour service, a handful have managed to keep the tradition alive, keeping their lights and griddles on around the clock.
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handful → end → clock
The original Red Arrow Diner opened its doors in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1922.
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Diner → open → 1922
Over the decades, the business expanded, changed ownership and moved locations.
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business → expand → locations
Currently, the historic diner is the flagship of four Red Arrow Diners in the state, co-owned by Amanda Wihby and George Lawrence.
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diner → co → Wihby
During the overnight hours, between midnight and 5 a.m., the diners attract a mixed crowd, Wihby said.
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Wihby → attract → crowd
"It could just be a regular who has nowhere else to go and wants to come in for a warm cup of coffee and a smile and maybe sit back and watch some of the entertainment that happens," she said.
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she → have → entertainment
"You have your first responders and people coming off [the] third shift, travelers, and, of course, there are the people who are coming out of the bars. …
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who → have → bars
And now that it's becoming a rare thing to be [open] 24 hours for diners, I feel like it just makes the Red Arrow that [much more] special."
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Arrow → become → diners
Yelp data released in 2025 showed that 24/7 restaurants are experiencing upheaval nationwide.
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restaurants → release → upheaval
The number of restaurants offering 24-hour service in the U.S. fell 11% between January 2020 and January 2025.
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number → offer → January
In Los Angeles, 29% of all-night restaurants closed, while Las Vegas saw 9% disappear, according to Yelp.
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% → close → Yelp
"A handful of cities are defying this downward trend," Yelp reported, citing increases in places like Baltimore (14%), Salt Lake City, Utah (25%) and Key West, Florida (33%).
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Yelp → defy → Baltimore
Labor shortages and changing customer behavior – including younger Americans choosing to drink less – have put a damper on the demand for a late-night meal, Yelp reported.
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Yelp → change → meal
"We cater to all walks of life.
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We → cater → life
"
Cultural and economic challenges, including the pandemic's lasting effects on sit-down restaurants and the role of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs in people's eating habits, also play a part in the decline of 24/7 food service, Food & Wine reported.
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Food → include → service
Surveys also show that affordability concerns are prompting Americans to cut back on restaurant spending.
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concerns → show → spending
Restaurant labor costs are also "well above historical averages," 2026 data from the National Restaurant Association showed.
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data → show → Association
Nevertheless, the diner has always been "the focal part of the community," Wihby said.
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Wihby → say → community
During the pandemic, the owners had to close three of the four Red Arrow locations during the third shift.
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owners → have → shift
"When the governor closed us down, we didn't have keys," Wihby recalled.
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Wihby → close → keys
"We had never closed the restaurants, so we were struggling to find the keys to lock the door.
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we → close → door
"
It took the owners a few years after the pandemic to get all four restaurants back to 24/7 service, but all locations are now open all day and night and are prospering, they said.
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they → take → service
Navigating the pressures of inflation and societal changes is what Wihby said she and Lawrence do daily.
"We sit and find solutions and troubleshoot and find a way to squeeze out the bottom line wherever we can, but not by cutting our quality," Wihby said.
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Wihby → navigate → quality
Wihby credits Red Arrow's employees and the diners' "very loyal vendors" with helping them succeed.
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them → credit → employees
One of the general managers, for instance, started with the business washing dishes as a teenager, worked his way up to a cook "and now he's got a family with kids, and he's running our Londonderry location," Wihby said.
Several other employees have also worked at the diners for more than 10 years.
"
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employees → start → years
We are blessed to have the best employees in the business," Wihby said.
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Wihby → bless → business
"They know customers either by name or what they eat.
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they → know → what
Someone will walk in and they're like, 'Oh, there's a chicken-fried steak and sausage gravy,' instead of their name.
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they → walk → ?
They banter with the customers and create memories.
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They → banter → memories
And that's why people keep coming back."
One famous regular was Hollywood star Adam Sandler's father, Stan, who ate at the diner every Sunday.
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who → come → diner
His regular order – eggs and bacon, panfries and toast – is on the Red Arrow menu as "Stan the Man," named in his memory.
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order → name → memory
"During election time, most presidents [have come] in," Lawrence said.
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Lawrence → come → time
President Donald Trump visited the diner in 2023 after a campaign rally.
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Trump → visit → rally
It has endured by serving consistently good food at reasonable prices and offering a welcoming environment, Wihby and Lawrence said.
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Wihby → endure → environment
"I could be sitting here next to the governor on one side and maybe a nurse or someone in construction on the other side," Wihby said.
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Wihby → sit → side
"We cater to all walks of life.
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We → cater → life
I think that tradition is important, and I think it'll stay alive."
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it → think → ?
The Aporia
