Haven Brothers: Legacy of the American Diner
Haven Brothers: Legacy of the American Diner–”the original food truck”–is the story of the oldest operating diner on wheels.
Diners, which began in Providence, RI in the late 1800s, were initially all on wheels. Haven Brothers is last survivor of this tradition of late night lunch carts and the oldest continually operating diner on wheels in the world.
The film centers around the fact that, in the 1980s, Haven Brothers was almost lost to the “modernization” of Providence. The diner was moved from its reserved parking spot next to Providence City Hall, and this was considered blasphemy to its loyal followers.
In the words of lifelong Providence resident and founder of artists’ collaborative AS220, Umberto Crenca, “It’s not just the physical reality of it being here, but the conceptual reality of it being not here. What would be missed?”
Lovers, haters, historians, public officials, college students, and many colorful characters share the history and heartburn of the oldest diner on wheels.
Tickets are only $11 in advance and $15 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Rhode Island Food Bank.
