Photo courtesy Brian Butko

The Diner in Plainfield may be serving up its last burgers and pork tenderloin sandwiches Saturday.

After 22 years, owner Ray Piercy cites health problems and competition from new chain restaurants as reasons for closing.

"I get a little nostalgic about it, and I'll miss the regulars. Some of them come in twice a day for breakfast and lunch," said Piercy, 69.

The roadside eatery is in one of those classic silver trailers that became icons from the 1940s and '50s, when Americans rumbled on two-lane highways like U.S. 40 across Indiana.

Located at 3122 E. Main St., near the Hendricks-Marion county line, The Diner will be offered for sale along with an old motel and 1.75 acres with frontage on U.S. 40.

The property isn't yet listed with a real estate agent, but Piercy said he'll ask $1.75 million for the prime piece along the heavily traveled commuter corridor.

The Diner is known for its classically prepared tenderloin sandwiches.

"We don't pound them out paper thin like some of the other places," said brother-in-law Darrell Baker, who was running The Diner's grill. "We like to keep the meat thick, so you can taste it."

Piercy has had a lot of help from family and employees over the years, including Baker and his wife, Charlene.

The building is actually in two parts.

The front is a trailer, about 35 feet long, manufactured about 1954 in New Jersey and shipped on a train to the U.S. 40 spot. It has had several owners over the past 50-plus years and formerly was called The Oasis.

The aluminum structure, with its pink and gray tiled floors and maroon leather seats and counter stools, is attached to a conventionally constructed building that houses the kitchen and more dining space.

In 2004, the National Road Association that tries to save remnants of the old highway's lore and buildings, presented a plaque to mark the eatery an "icon of roadside architecture" on its 50th anniversary.

If no buyer steps up, the lights will go out, and the sign over the counter can come down. It reads, "Welcome back to The Diner."

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071204/LOCAL0505/712040441