Paterson’s Legacy Revived: Mr. G’s Diner Set to Reopen Under New Ownership

On Friday, August 16, 2024, the famous Mr. G’s Diner will mark its comeback with an elaborate grand re-opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony.  

Now in the hands of new owners, Vaughn and Marnie McCoy, the popular eatery will remain Paterson’s only diner. Sadly, Paterson has had many of its iconic eateries leave the city, like Libby’s Lunch on McBride Avenue, which closed down for good in 2020, or others like Johnny and Hanges that was founded in Paterson in 1939 but eventually moved to nearby Fair Lawn. Egg Platter Diner was open for 70 years in the city before closing in 2017. Thankfully, the reopening of Mr. G.’s Diner represents a piece of history returning. 

When Russell “Mr. G.” Graddy died on December 27, 2021, at age 90, the entire city mourned. “Trailblazer” and “Legend” were the words used by local politicians and community leaders to describe the beloved restauranteur. U.S. Congressman Bill Pascrell, who represents Paterson and served as the city’s mayor in the 1990s, said at the time of Graddy’s passing: “Russell’s positive energy to make Paterson better was bottomless. We all loved him. We will all miss him.” In 2019, a portion of Paterson’s 10th Avenue, where the restaurant opened its doors to many, was named after Graddy. 

History

“It ain’t high society and it ain’t low. Everybody can stop in here — the politicians, the preachers, the families.” Graddy told the Paterson Press in 2019 of his diner. 

And, Indeed, it was a place for everybody. Local and regional politicians stopped in for coffee or a meal. Business meetings occurred right in a booth behind two local teens at the counter ordering lunch. A city family who had called in breakfast, parked outside, walked in, grabbed their order, and then hustled back out. The iconic owner made it feel like the city: diverse, bustling, progressive, yet still, homely, nurturing, relevant, and culturally conscious. 

One would expect nothing less from the civil rights activist, who most notably reported to the press that he worked the March on Washington in 1963,  helping to serve food to organizers. He was also part of a group of local activists that was responsible for Dr. Martin Luther King’s last appearance and speech, before he was assassinated. King’s visit took place in Paterson on March 27, 1968, at the Community Baptist Church of Love, at the time located on Auburn Street. King would be assassinated just one week later in Memphis, Tennessee. 

Later, Graddy became involved with the NAACP and the National Action Network. He’d break barriers in business as a real estate broker and entrepreneur with several businesses over the years. He was the first African American chairman of the Greater Paterson Chamber of Commerce and was the first African American to own and operate a major restaurant in a New Jersey Transit location. He operated Atlantic City Souvenirs and Snacks, Inc. in the Atlantic City bus terminal from 1985 to 2004. Finally, he opened Mr. G.’s Diner in 2008, where he remained until his passing. 

The diner’s new tagline: Where friends meet.

Under the McCoy’s ownership, renovations to Mr. G.’s began in September 2023. “This is a place where we want people to come and not just have a good dining experience, but a good experience in general. It’s not just physical food for the soul but emotional food and spiritual food for the soul,” Vaughn McCoy stated. 

The McCoys plan to retain the original atmosphere of the diner with reupholstered seating, just how Graddy intended, with a long counter with round stools remaining the inside’s focal point. Outdoor patio seating in the rear is also being added, along with an existing barbeque pit. 

Like Mr. G., McCoy, too, is homegrown. He grew up just half a block from the diner, and is proud to carry on such a legacy in his city.