Richard J. S. Gutman
Richard J.S. Gutman is America's leading diner expert. He has written four books on the subject, including the definitive history, American Diner Then and Now.
He began his study of diners with a thesis for his architecture degree at Cornell University and, over the years, worked on more than 100 restoration projects.
In 2019, he donated the Richard J.S. Gutman Diner Collection to The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. See Press Release
On May 25, 2024, Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation opened a 10-month exhibition, Dick Gutman, Dinerman, drawn from his donation. THF.org/DINERMAN
Richard has been interviewed nationally and internationally, appearing
on NPR, PRI, BBC, Food Network, History Channel, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Smithsonian and The New Yorker, to name a few.
He is the subject of numerous profiles. For example, a front-page article in The Wall Street Journal, began with the line, “The next time you eat in a diner, thank Richard J.S. Gutman for the experience. Or if the waitress pops bubble gum in your face, blame him.” In Yankee magazine, he named his five top New England diners, and the editor wrote, “Nobody knows more about these classic eateries than Richard Gutman.”
From 2005 until 2016, he was director and curator of the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University, where he mounted 96 exhibits during his tenure, including a major diner exhibition. The museum is now closed to the public.
Richard J.S. Gutman is America's leading diner expert. He has written four books on the subject, including the definitive history, American Diner Then and Now.
He began his study of diners with a thesis for his architecture degree at Cornell University and, over the years, worked on more than 100 restoration projects.
In 2019, he donated the Richard J.S. Gutman Diner Collection to The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. See Press Release
On May 25, 2024, Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation opened a 10-month exhibition, Dick Gutman, Dinerman, drawn from his donation. THF.org/DINERMAN
Richard has been interviewed nationally and internationally, appearing
on NPR, PRI, BBC, Food Network, History Channel, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Smithsonian and The New Yorker, to name a few.
He is the subject of numerous profiles. For example, a front-page article in The Wall Street Journal, began with the line, “The next time you eat in a diner, thank Richard J.S. Gutman for the experience. Or if the waitress pops bubble gum in your face, blame him.” In Yankee magazine, he named his five top New England diners, and the editor wrote, “Nobody knows more about these classic eateries than Richard Gutman.”
From 2005 until 2016, he was director and curator of the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University, where he mounted 96 exhibits during his tenure, including a major diner exhibition. The museum is now closed to the public.
