A Well-Travelled Diner
by Christine Adams Beckett
My husband spent most of his boyhood in the quaint suburban town of Westfield, New Jersey, 25 miles west of New York City. The town is your typical sleepy bedroom community offering all the benefits of situation: a 30 minute train ride to Penn Station and a 60 minute drive to the bucolic towns on the Delaware River, offering extensive hiking trails and antique shops, and Revolutionary War era homes. My mother-in-law joked that Shangri-La had New York City on its door step and the bucolic counrtyside in its back yard. That was practical reality in Westfield; but one needn’t look further than Westfield itself for charm, as is true for many of these bedroom towns of Northern New Jersey. The existence of the commuter rail allowed Westfield to evolve into an independent, free-standing town with a fantastic downtown, its own diversions and gorgeous housing stock reflecting a host of different architectural styles.
Although many of the mom-and-pop stores and restaurants of their superb downtown have given way recently to more chain establishments, the Westfield of my husband’s childhood had it all: independently run hardware stores, clothiers, and restaurants located conveniently within walking distance of the train station. One of his regular after-school haunts was the Excellent Diner, a classic example of a Jerry O’Mahoney dining car featuring a long, narrow yet sleek design, a stainless steel façade and interior. O’Mahoney built about 2000 of such dining cars between 1917 and 1941, and only 26 remain in the United States. The Excellent is not one of them. It’s much more cosmopolitan than that.
After almost fifty years of serving up the hamburgers and hot dogs in Westfield, a German family bought the Excellent and had it shipped over seas to their town in Aalen, about 200 kilometers north of Munich. They retained the name, The Excellent Diner, and presumably amended the menu to read frankfurters instead of hot dogs.
While living in Paris, my mother-in-law told us that local news tabloids recorded the Excellent’s next move sometime in 2000. After presumably doing a mediocre business in Aalen, the Diner found a more fabulous home in Marne-la-Vallée, a 15 minute drive outside of Paris, and best known for being home to Euro Disney’s theme parks. The worldly Excellent had taken up residence in the studio theme park, and rejected its American roots, changing it’s name to the more fabulous “Café de Cascadeurs” (Stuntman’s Café). The menu, however, is decidedly American and simple: burgers, hot dogs, and chips, salads as snacks, brownies and ice cream for dessert. You can even wash it all down with a Coca-Cola.
The online French reviews of the Cascadeurs are almost universally positive, but not one mentions the authenticity of the design of this American classic, a true antique and relic to the past. There was one that raved about the jukebox though.
We never visited the Café de Cascadeurs while living in France, as our list of true European destinations we wanted to visit was simply too long. Having a limited time in France, we figured we’d see FRANCE while there and not the a little patch of America on French soil. Yet my husband is curious to know if the wait staff still wears the same aprons, wether the chef still wears a tall paper hat, and if there is a new playlist on the jukebox.

The Excellent Diner in its original home in Westfield, New Jersey.

The Excellent Diner - now the Café des Cascadeurs in Marne-la-Vallée, France.
Cool to find out what happened to the Excellent Diner. I remember the wife Harriet, the daughter with the attitude, the grandmother and the dad was at the grill.
Thanks for writing, Vicky! You might be interested in the attached footage, which I found while doing my research on the Excellent. It’s kind of lengthy with some dramatic music, but neat to see nonetheless. Perhaps some of the faces look familiar?
Remember it well and did notice a few faces I rememberd too. Such nice memories of what I beleive to be the best town to grow up in. I Love Westfield and am very proud to say I was a member of this community. And to have my father retire from Westfield’s finest. Westfield Police Dept. Fondly, Susan Koza
It’s truly a special town, Susan. We were there just last weekend to meet my mother-in-law for brunch and the downtown is truly charming: unspoiled and vibrant. I half expected to see JImmy Stewart rounding the corner to shout “hee-haw” to us…!
When my husband, Jim Sabbagh, moved to Westfield from Boston in 1958 to teach at Roosevelt, he ate dinner at Louis’every single night for a year!
Must have eventually turned into a family supper for him, Anna! Fabulous… Wonder how he feels that his old haunt now has sel et poivre sur les tables! Que romantique!
My grandfather is Jerry O’Mahony who manufactured diners! I live in Westfield and the Excellent Diner was a favorite spot, love hearing and seeing pictures.
Hi Christine,
i came across your blog because I did a Search on Westfield, my hometown and saw your article on the Excellent Diner. I have a suggestion, as I have done scores of press releases for the Westfield Lions Club over the years, in The Westfield Leader.
If you submited the above regarding the diner, I am 99% sure the Westfield Leader would run it. Please consider it.
As for your blog, I find it interesting and well written and I actually bookmarked it which surprised me as most bloggers, well they are idiots with nothing to say but rather are having a celebration of their own wonderfulness. By any chance was your husband in the Westfield Class of 1977?
Mike
Class of ’75, Mike…
I should contact the Leader! Thanks for your interest and for reading me…
All best,
C.
I found this video on You Tube about The Excellent Diner
My wife any I had a lovely meal in Café de Cascadeurs, this summer, so good in fact that I returned the next day for lunch. A true piece of Americana in the Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Pairs.
Christine this is awesome!! I went to High School with your husband, if my memory is serving me well — so happy to see these old pictures of Westfield. A gorgeous old town that when I think “home” comes immediately to mind. Thank you for writing such a great piece!
My Dad used to take us to Louie’s Excellent. I don’t remember what we ate, but I remember the experience. My heart jumps a beat from the memories, as I spent the first 18 years of my life in Westfield. Thank you for the post.