Kitchen was spotless, recipes were memorized, staff was always hard at work, bosses were prideful, restaurant looked gorgeous, and the food looked simple, delicious, and perfect for the family. Bravo Tops Diner, honestly makes me want to strive and work harder in the kitchen.
Don't kill yourself getting to it man. There is a grind point where you stop making an edge on your skills and talents and are just grinding your edge down to dust.
As a Newark native, this diner is by far the best most diverse and consistent restaurant I’ve ever been to. There’s a reason it’s ranked number 1 in the country and the line is out the door every day. In a city that has seen so much hardship tops has always been a bright spot in our community so to see how much effort and attention to detail goes into serving the often overlooked people in the place I grew up in gives me even more appreciation for tops, thank you for all your intention and mastery to every staff member that has ever worked there
I have so much respect for these people. Having a huge menu, and doing it from scratch is almost impossible. They do it like a well oiled machine. Kudos guys!
Good food but a single plate costs hundreds of dollars which is not worth for its small portion. It's better to support street vendors that sell good food at a lower price.
its really about..like..are alot of these dishes able to be like..pre prepared. you can have fresh great food that you made in the morning. like there soups and stuff
@@FutaCatto2 i didnt see anything about hundreds of dollars. sure the surf an t is expensive. but it is anywhere. you're gonna pay good money for good food. vendors and places like these, aren't the same. vendors are a convienence. low cost. frozen cheap product. where the profit is minimal.
@@FutaCatto2 Good food, brings in the customers, no matter the cost. Customers will pay good money for food like this, Look at the portion sizes it's worth it to me. Plus most of their ingredients are made in-house, Vendors you will not see that.
@@tamarapaul4597 I disagree. I don't think you are aware of the rising costs of food globally. Here in Singapore, a plate of soup and bread can cost up to $12. Yes just a bowl of soup and bread. The Government is slowly closing down food stalls that sell cheap and affordable food. Many of us prefer to eat at local food stalls. A pie and mash like this would cost over $20 here. I strongly recommend you visit Thailand and look at the local population to see how many are in famine. They would eat rice and minced meat everyday. Eating at a local diner such as the one you see in the video is considered a luxury.
@wolfing. You are kidding right? Its is a basic beef stock, any first year apprentice knows all the stocks, theyre no secret. What they did do was ruin it by adding a roux to it instead of reducing it to a jus .
I can attest and say Tops Diner is hands down the best diner I have ever been eaten at. Their Thanksgiving Everyday meal is top tier, literally Thanksgiving Everyday at Tops. The fried chicken is crazy. The cherry cheesecake and churro doughnuts are simply the best. The drinks are always tasty and bottles of prosecco can be purchased as well. And the most important aspect of Tops is their service. I mean the absolute best service in town. I go to Tops at least 1x a week and I can assure you this is where you want to go. 10/10
But this is not really a diner they serve fried chicken filet mignot rib eye sur and turf and those fries with a vey high quality gravy this is no dinner...
I actually stay like two miles away the place is always clean and always packed. Before Covid they were open until like two in the morning and everyone was always there
I've been to Top's Diner many times- it is the best diner in the world. It is a great restaurant- full stop. Imagine having such an extensive menu -breakfast to late night diners and making everything from scratch and having it turn out damn near perfect. It is a labor of love and a heroic effort. You will not be disappointed and I urge you to stop by and experience it first-hand.
You can see from the way that the veal bone and marrow stock is prepared that this place has high standards and a commitment to making quality food. A lesser place wouldn't make their own stock, or, would cut corners on the ingredients. And, it goes without saying that the scale of this operation is hugely impressive, producing so many distinct dishes as well as baked goods, at a high level of quality.
This place is an upscale diner and their pricing reflects the efforts. Good to know they aren't doing any short cuts and cheating customers like how other restauranteurs might do.
@@eggbenedict-gt7mw I am assuming it is regarding the overall quality of food, and service. No, you will not get high standards for food quality and service at a 2 star Hotel, and if so please, name me a few examples of such places! There is a huge difference by the way in star reviews if you consider hotels vs. restaurants. Hotels (80% of the time) have high reviews (for dining) based on the location and view, while restaurants or in this case a diner, is about food and service. You could go to a 5 star hotel, and have ok food, but have an amazing view, and that is what you pay for. While the same can not be said while dining out, as most don't care about the location, long as the food is great. Example Shutters on the Beach Hotel (Los Angeles) and their 1 Pico restaurant 5 star hotel, but the food is ok, while on the other hand you have Sparks or Keens in New York which have whatever location, but excellent food. So buddy, you are wrong or have never been to a decent establishment to even understand the difference.
I made a road trip not long ago to NJ to make a delivery to the USS New Jersey museum. One of the things I always like to look for on a road trip is a local type diner. I found a couple on that trip where the food was off the charts great. Not to mention the people running the diners were great to talk with. We are very blessed in our country & a lot of people do not appreciate that. Your video makes me want to do another road trip to NJ. Shalom
It’s true. I go to a university near by and Tops Diner is always the spot for us. It’s a little bit pricer that your normal spot but none of us mind it every once in a while because of the quality of food and experience! Extremely professional, clean, and friendly environment. The food is always top of the line exceptional. Tops is extremely unique in that regard.
Sad to hear about your father. He would walk around and talk to all the guests and even sit down at the tables cause he would love to to talk to everyone. I remember he brought over a new dessert to our table after my wife and I finished eating and my wife told him she loved it. We get in the car and our to-go bag was filled with cookies. Wonderful man. I’m probably repeating what others have said in the comments but this place is incredible. Not only huge portions but every single dish here is incredible. The bake shop alone probably better then any bakery you’ll go to. Try the crab bisque and cookie dough cake one of my favorites.
As I understand Diners are becoming rarer and a lot of them keep closing, which is a shame. It is good to know that there are still some owners who try to preserve this cultural and culinary history. A very interesting video, very beautiful venue with good retro décor and an appetizing menu.
Unfortunately most diners at some point became garbage quality. I dont expect a diner like this to go out of business - it has quality through and through. A lot of other diners are serving canned food, premade food, etc.
@@SuWoopSparrow Well a traditional diner is a budget set up. There was even a company that sold pre-fab diners & menu. So of course as the food industry had more processing, so did diners. Making stuff in house costs money, so they don't. Really a Waffle House is more like the original diners, with the old Big Boys being the upper end. This is really much higher end than traditional diners ever were. It's really a nicer restaurant with it's menu starting point being the standard diner menu, done better with additions.
@@recoil53 Yea, but budget doesnt have to mean processed. The spirit of what diners were is still thriving in Europe - casual, local restaurants with cheap menus, but the bulk of what matters is made in house. Yes, your chili will be better if you use ribeye and tenderloin trimmings, but your cheaper cuts will make a great chili still as long as you do it yourself. This doesnt have to jack up the price above the "budget-friendly" bracket. However, heating up a bunch of Franks Excessive Sodium Chili to serve to customers is only going to minimally reduce labor cost, while greatly reducing quality. Thats what American diners have become.
@@SuWoopSparrow It definitely takes more time to make stuff instead of cracking open a can and dumping it into a heater. And it takes less skill. Time & skill cost money. Look, that's what people pay for - somebody else to reheat their premade food. I'm not defending it.
I can't imagine how anybody can do it better than this, and not just in New Jersey but anywhere in the world. I am absolutely blown away by this place.
In Las Vegas casinos there’s good food that’s similar to that but Tops Diner probably has better historical vibes and maybe more stable and consistent since they already have a strong custom base.
Definitely brings me back to my childhood growing up on Long Island. The diner culture there was very similar and every town had its own diner. This place looks great!
When I was a kid,1966-1967, my family had a little gas station/trucking company just down Passaic Avenue from Tops. I was proud when they trusted me to make the Coffee run to the original diner. Best Hot Chocolate ever back then, and coffee and rolls and pastries satisfied long before Starbucks. Now living in California, but Tops is first stop whenever we hit Newark Airport!
Love how the owner embraces not only his customers but also his workers 🙏🏽such a great background story, never been to jersey but if I ever do go I’ll definitely be stopping by , food looks fantastic!
This is a crazy. I am also in the restaurant industry as a fast food franchisee and our stores do very well. We are very prideful in how we take care of our staff and run our stores, but to see the organization and scale to which these people are running this place is wild. The amount of money to run this place alone probably has to be at least a million bucks a month. I would love to visit this place.
@@holdenbrowning7200 We have about 100 locations, a couple of different brands, in California and Texas (about 65 Cal/35 TX split) The texas locations are definitely easier to operate, cheaper, and probably more profitable from a percentage standpoint. CA has a ton of laws that makes it very difficult for employers and heavily favors workers rights. This makes it quite expensive to operate and a lot harder to find quality employees, but the stores that do profit here, can profit 30k-40k a month, whereas in TX, your big hitters will profit maybe a quarter of that. I would probably say 60% of stores are anywhere between 1-5% up, 20% lost money anywhere from 1-10% and the remaining 20% are up 10-15% a month. And those percentage are based off of expenses, lets call it an average of 100k to run a store for a month. Fast food can be hit or miss due to how a ton of variables, the most important probably being good locations and good leases (rent amounts). At the end of each period, we probably do about maybe between 5-10% up throughout the whole company (all 100 stores, and this can vary quite a bit due to different seasons or operation efficiencies) It can be a lot of work for something that may not profit off of all that much, granted we do have a lot of stores and the percentage of our stores that lose money is probably higher than other franchisees, since we do not like pulling stores out just because they lose a little money. One piece of advice tho, if you buy 10 restaurants (strong brands like Taco Bell, McDonalds, Chic-fil-a, etc.), you will probably make more money selling it in 10 years, than you would the entire time operating the stores. A lot of the value comes from how much the value of the brand goes up. I've seen some franchisees make $30 mil (sale price, not profit) off selling there 20 stores.
@@holdenbrowning7200 sorry super late response! It’s very challenging and depending on the state you’re in (we are in CA) it’s almost not worth even trying. We got in a longgggg time ago maybe 20ish years ago so we have been established for a while but with wages and costs going up and people not wanting to spend that much on fast food, a lot of our locations are not profitable at all. Out of 100 of our locations probably about 10 of them make REAL good money. The rest just about break even or the profit is so small that it really isn’t worth it. Laws are also shifting pretty hard towards workers rights over company rights which is good in a lot of case but make it a thousand times harder to be good employers. We ALWAYS have at least a dozen lawsuits open from employees trying to claim injury or file some type of hostile workplace claim (whether they are valid or not, and it’s our job to investigate even if it’s a bold face lie) it’s a ton of work lol And for reference, we are one of the top franchisees in our brand lol so it’s hard for everyone
@@holdenbrowning7200 very expensive depending on the state. I am in CA where theres a million laws and taxes that make everything way too expensive and labor hard to find/very expensive. We have about 100 stores, about half in tx half in ca. we probably get at least 10 different lawsuits every year... all from CA... from disgruntled employees to customers that come in with rulers trying to find things that arent compliant to injury lawsuits that are very valid and we are happy to help with. Out of 100 stores maybe half are profitable and the maybe 20 of those make REALLY good money. The rest do mediocre or lose money. if you did want to get started Id say start with like one store of something, and really learn it and take care of it and try your hardest to satisfy customers, employees, build culture. Start from one and build leaders from within. It's a lot of work lol
A diner that makes its own veal stock for brown gravy?! I'd be more keen to call this establishment an upscale restaurant. This is an impressive place and all of the chefs and cooks seem top-tier!
Just seeing the kitchen, it is a high end restaurant. They just happen to build around a traditional diner menu. It looks like his father built up quality over the years.
Grew up in Jersey and enjoyed many a diner trip…usually breakfast or after hitting the bars, so got the usual items - patty melt, omelette, disco fries, et al., and loved them all, but always avoided the “entree level” stuff, figuring it sat in the walk-in for days. Have to re-think things now - this is NEXT LEVEL Jersey diner food! Between seeing the Jade range in the video, all the from-scratch items, and huge staff cooking a la minute legit ingredients, I need to get my ass back there and pay a visit!
Was here last week and it was my 5th time. I’m lucky to be living close to this diner. Seeing how clean how their food all comes from scratch makes me love it more! This place is amazing and it’s always packed! Make sure to try the Skirt steak!
This sounds like it should be a stop on every east coast road trip. A lot of people don't stop in Connecticut and Jersey but the diners there are the best in the world
@@itsascaryworld9788Look at how long employees have been there. Even if places are closing there's still quite huge demand for solid skilled kitchen staff. They're sticking for a reason.
@@jenelaina5665 because they need a job and are comfortable, you obviously haven’t worked at a restaurant before. Staff come and go. Pretty sure majority of those employees don’t work there anymore.
@@itsascaryworld9788 it was JUST published and multiple people have been there decade+. I *have* which is why I know it's rare. This seems to be an exception to the rule and they do exist. Christ.
I lived in harrison for about 8 years and this was our spot. any celebration, anyone visiting, need a place to hang, eat after a night drinking, breakfast before heading to work, etc etc was always at tops. For about a 6month period, me and a couple of friends were there twice a week - pitcher of peach sangria and shrimp. Remember waiting an hour and a half for a table once in 20 degree weather and being worth it.
Man this place looks incredible, you can really tell that people care about their work simply due to how busy that kitchen is and it is still nearly spotlessly clean. I have no idea why I would ever end up in New Jersey, but if I ever do I want to eat here.
I miss our family restaurant.. the hustle and bustle of the kitchen is music to my ears. The front of the house was always full of smiles and memorable conversations with our loyal customers. I miss it all, now I’m at a desk job. Lol
I grew up in Jersey and the Diners really make Jersey a special place. Open 24 hours 7 days a week is amazing. they have bars great bakeries amazing wait staff.
Pre-renovation, I was privileged to enjoy Tops Diner regularly. I was on an hourly salary and STILL it was the best food and value for money, even on the “cheaper” menu items! So excited to see them on this video and can’t wait to go back, as now I’m going for the surf and turf!!
The really impressive thing about this spot is the huge scale, but where they not only don't cut corners, they actually have a higher quality of prep than a lot of smaller places!
Love love, love this. I’ve worked in many diners in my life in New York City and New Jersey and I’ve heard of Tops and eaten there. Glad that the family continued the legacy. God bless them.
Every time we went to Tops, the rotating cheesecake cabinet beckoned ... but then the meal was so giant and delicious that no one had any room. We did split a piece once and it was phenomenal!
This is excellent! What a place!!! We've got to get to Top's Diner! Great segment. The kitchen is incredibly. The whole place is so well run. Congrats folks.
WoW that makes me wish I lived in Jersey! Kept it up your Tops kitchen is one of the cleanest kitchen I have ever seen and the dining shots are definitely more than a typical diner. Bravo 👏
“Brazilian lobster, it’s a warm water lobster.” Thank you for being honest. Not the typical “oh it’s Maine lobster…. Lobsters in Maine are in the same ocean of the lobsters I buy so yeah it’s Maine lobster.” Warm water lobster is great too.
They also say they use Maine lobsters for their Mac & Cheese. Any other restaurant would just buy the cheapest lobster and call it whatever people want to hear.
I love Tops, as a Newark resident you can’t think of a great place to go eat without considering Tops. Best diner in NJ, especially after remodeling they really improved even more then before it’s a great establishment, I am glad I know a little more about my city
This is some Michellin Level stuff! More than expected in a Diner. Wow. Kudos to the management and staff that makes this a must visit place in Jersey!
I been eating at tops diner since 1998. Had my first real date their in 2004, fast forward 2023 I’m still eating at tops, and still with the person I ate with on that date in 2004, she is now my wife, and still eat at tops with her and our kids.
I'm vegetarian for many years - and I must say my mouth is watering; I would completely lose it there and attack that fried chicken and that mac and cheese with lobster AND those disco fries - everything looks delicious and very high quality ---great video!
New Jersey does have the best diners. Great to see these independent diners with their own way of cooking great home cooked meals. These are the true entrepreneurs, the ones that do it all, not like the franchisers who serve Frankenfood, precooked, proportioned to be fake food to eat. Give this man a high five for being a real restaurateur.
Love your fryer it different then what I seen in the restaurant business nice best restaurant use old and new to create beautiful goodness food omg love this chicken fried chicken wow
Respect to all the people creating an amazing restaurant experience like this. You don’t get this kind of quality an every restaurant and being in the industry, this is a difficult thing to do. Especially after Covid and the work force leaving the service industry for other work. So awesome!
This restaurant is amazing and well tuned to perfection love places that have it on the point. Must come here this year from Toronto Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 love my beautiful Neighbors united state of America loved the food love the places and I love the restaurants and this is one of them wow kudos to you the owner and the people that working in a beautiful place come and eat and eat
I wish I had known about this place when I lived in the area. I definitely would have loved to eat there. If I ever make it back, I'll make sure to check it out. The food looks amazing and the amount of skill that goes into making that broad range of dishes is outstanding. Kudos.
The dishes showed in the video already made my mouth- watering. Hopefully, i could be there one day to sample all the signature dishes and the desserts as well
OMG 18 hours to make this gravy wow you are real deal nice old school and honesty in your work hard work wow I got a visit your establishment one day you guys are the real deal of making great food for people God bless you guys from Toronto Ontario Canada my luck he loved it neighbors of the United States bless you keep the good work coming in your establishment keep people happy piano that is that’s what all people one great food great people great places that’s what it’s all about in this world
Having owned several small restaurants, this isn't a 'diner'. It's a fine-dining establishment. The size and complexity are mind-boggling. It takes a LOT of dedicated people to keep a place like this running.
I would just like to say thank you for your RUclips channel after watching this one I went to tops two days later I enjoyed everything about it the staff, the vibe, ambience,
Tops is the gold standard every diner owner compares themselves. Their sustained long term success is not a fluke or based off a five star location. Its all about hiring quality people, treating and compensating them above industry standards, unyielding focus on the quality of their food and customer service, reinvesting profits into upgrading their facilities and the willingness to adapt to food trends consumers seek. That family deserves and has earned every penny of their vast fortune.
Tops is the perfect name for the restaurant. That food looks great, and the kitchen looks clean and professional. I would love to visit there some day.
I never been more impressed in my life and thats on everything😍😍 When I come back home this is the first Diner I'm hitting God bless you and your staff you are all on point this is what you call team work and is deftinely giving dream works
The disco fries are an appetizer meant to be shared at a table, but all the other stuff (the surf & turf, chicken & waffles, lobster mac & cheese, etc.) are all something a single person would order as their main entree at this restaurant. Portions here look a little bit above average in size and are probably above average in price too. Overall, our portion sizes in the US are just massive, and they tend to get more massive at the locally owned diners and dives and mom & pop restaurants that people frequent.
Watching this video from Michigan is making my mouth water. I’ve never wanted to visit a restaurant more in my life, just checked it’s only a 9 hour drive.🤣🤣
@@paulshadlow5330 fun fact, greeks brought the burger from america to australia when greek americans left the USA in the last 50 years and settled in australia.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Kitchen was spotless, recipes were memorized, staff was always hard at work, bosses were prideful, restaurant looked gorgeous, and the food looked simple, delicious, and perfect for the family. Bravo Tops Diner, honestly makes me want to strive and work harder in the kitchen.
Don't kill yourself getting to it man. There is a grind point where you stop making an edge on your skills and talents and are just grinding your edge down to dust.
Imma give props too em 2 respect da grind player u gone get wat u get 💯 💪
Its all about having standards. Top's has high standards for their food, their kitchen and service. I love eating there.
Fresh remodeling, look it up
well notice theres no blacks allowed in the kitchen?
As a Newark native, this diner is by far the best most diverse and consistent restaurant I’ve ever been to. There’s a reason it’s ranked number 1 in the country and the line is out the door every day. In a city that has seen so much hardship tops has always been a bright spot in our community so to see how much effort and attention to detail goes into serving the often overlooked people in the place I grew up in gives me even more appreciation for tops, thank you for all your intention and mastery to every staff member that has ever worked there
How do people afford it? A piece of strawberry cheesecake is nine dollars
@@jonklein7130 Lordy. That's pretty rich. lol See what I did there? hahaha Yeah, that's a bit much.
@@jonklein7130 You go there to splurge but also, they have some reasable prices. Its not your classic Diner with cheap breakfast by any means.
@@12bestskater12 ok I understand. The food does look great
@@12bestskater12bottom line you get what you pay for in the end
Jim is a good guy. His dad was a legend. Always had a kind word and few minutes to spare. Great family that has provided amazing food for decades.
Even better to hear that decent people have success.
Lies again? Best Dad Football Jersey
im glad jim upheld his dads wishes and still doesnt allow blacks to work inthe kitchen
@@NazriB New Jersey has Krispy Krunchy Chicken, where did you see it?
Definitely, and they used to have the best Waldorf salad!
I have so much respect for these people. Having a huge menu, and doing it from scratch is almost impossible. They do it like a well oiled machine. Kudos guys!
Good food but a single plate costs hundreds of dollars which is not worth for its small portion. It's better to support street vendors that sell good food at a lower price.
its really about..like..are alot of these dishes able to be like..pre prepared. you can have fresh great food that you made in the morning. like there soups and stuff
@@FutaCatto2 i didnt see anything about hundreds of dollars. sure the surf an t is expensive. but it is anywhere. you're gonna pay good money for good food. vendors and places like these, aren't the same. vendors are a convienence. low cost. frozen cheap product. where the profit is minimal.
@@FutaCatto2 Good food, brings in the customers, no matter the cost. Customers will pay good money for food like this, Look at the portion sizes it's worth it to me. Plus most of their ingredients are made in-house, Vendors you will not see that.
@@tamarapaul4597 I disagree. I don't think you are aware of the rising costs of food globally. Here in Singapore, a plate of soup and bread can cost up to $12. Yes just a bowl of soup and bread. The Government is slowly closing down food stalls that sell cheap and affordable food. Many of us prefer to eat at local food stalls. A pie and mash like this would cost over $20 here. I strongly recommend you visit Thailand and look at the local population to see how many are in famine. They would eat rice and minced meat everyday. Eating at a local diner such as the one you see in the video is considered a luxury.
I always respect chefs who aren't afraid to talk about their stock recipes in detail
Something to take pride in and anything your proud of is worth sharing
@wolfing. You are kidding right? Its is a basic beef stock, any first year apprentice knows all the stocks, theyre no secret. What they did do was ruin it by adding a roux to it instead of reducing it to a jus .
@@poison2433 it's New Jersey's busiest diner little bro - I'm sure they'd be better off listening to your advice tho huh? Stay washing pots melon
@@poison2433 🤓 this is what you look like.
@@User19832 Correct, I am a chef.
I can attest and say Tops Diner is hands down the best diner I have ever been eaten at. Their Thanksgiving Everyday meal is top tier, literally Thanksgiving Everyday at Tops. The fried chicken is crazy. The cherry cheesecake and churro doughnuts are simply the best. The drinks are always tasty and bottles of prosecco can be purchased as well. And the most important aspect of Tops is their service. I mean the absolute best service in town. I go to Tops at least 1x a week and I can assure you this is where you want to go. 10/10
But this is not really a diner they serve fried chicken filet mignot rib eye sur and turf and those fries with a vey high quality gravy this is no dinner...
Having spent a fair amount of time in NJ, I'm heartbroken I never knew this place existed!
What other diners do you get eaten at? Asking for a friend.
Who ate you? 😂
Dude u gotta appreciate how clean that diner kitchen is man 😮
I actually stay like two miles away the place is always clean and always packed. Before Covid they were open until like two in the morning and everyone was always there
to be fair it was rebuilt 3 years ago, give it some time
@@ibeleaf Believe me, three years in a pro kitchen gets baked in grease on EVERYTHING unless they do some serious cleaning.
It's been remodeled 🤦🤦🤣
These people keep the place modern and clean. 20 year plus customer.
I've been to Top's Diner many times- it is the best diner in the world. It is a great restaurant- full stop. Imagine having such an extensive menu -breakfast to late night diners and making everything from scratch and having it turn out damn near perfect. It is a labor of love and a heroic effort. You will not be disappointed and I urge you to stop by and experience it first-hand.
That poutine is 1500 calories easy
You can see from the way that the veal bone and marrow stock is prepared that this place has high standards and a commitment to making quality food. A lesser place wouldn't make their own stock, or, would cut corners on the ingredients. And, it goes without saying that the scale of this operation is hugely impressive, producing so many distinct dishes as well as baked goods, at a high level of quality.
yea lesser place would just use powdered gravy lol
This place is an upscale diner and their pricing reflects the efforts. Good to know they aren't doing any short cuts and cheating customers like how other restauranteurs might do.
What high standards 😂😂😂😂, even in 2 star hotel they donthat
@@eggbenedict-gt7mw I am assuming it is regarding the overall quality of food, and service. No, you will not get high standards for food quality and service at a 2 star Hotel, and if so please, name me a few examples of such places! There is a huge difference by the way in star reviews if you consider hotels vs. restaurants. Hotels (80% of the time) have high reviews (for dining) based on the location and view, while restaurants or in this case a diner, is about food and service. You could go to a 5 star hotel, and have ok food, but have an amazing view, and that is what you pay for. While the same can not be said while dining out, as most don't care about the location, long as the food is great. Example Shutters on the Beach Hotel (Los Angeles) and their 1 Pico restaurant 5 star hotel, but the food is ok, while on the other hand you have Sparks or Keens in New York which have whatever location, but excellent food. So buddy, you are wrong or have never been to a decent establishment to even understand the difference.
@@Armyan1988Come to Portugal to try real traditional food. Best food in the world
I made a road trip not long ago to NJ to make a delivery to the USS New Jersey museum. One of the things I always like to look for on a road trip is a local type diner. I found a couple on that trip where the food was off the charts great. Not to mention the people running the diners were great to talk with. We are very blessed in our country & a lot of people do not appreciate that. Your video makes me want to do another road trip to NJ. Shalom
It’s true. I go to a university near by and Tops Diner is always the spot for us. It’s a little bit pricer that your normal spot but none of us mind it every once in a while because of the quality of food and experience! Extremely professional, clean, and friendly environment. The food is always top of the line exceptional. Tops is extremely unique in that regard.
but the real question is can they make xiao long bao?
man, this is not a simple Diner! this is a food institute! this is an operation! everything looks so perfect! its definitely on my bucket list now 😎
Agreed, some of the shots of the kitchen and staff could be mistaken for a premium Vegas buffet.
Bcoz it's not busy
Oh, I've been here. The food is OUTSTANDING. Easily in the top 3 for the state of NJ. A must visit.
Sad to hear about your father. He would walk around and talk to all the guests and even sit down at the tables cause he would love to to talk to everyone. I remember he brought over a new dessert to our table after my wife and I finished eating and my wife told him she loved it. We get in the car and our to-go bag was filled with cookies. Wonderful man.
I’m probably repeating what others have said in the comments but this place is incredible. Not only huge portions but every single dish here is incredible. The bake shop alone probably better then any bakery you’ll go to. Try the crab bisque and cookie dough cake one of my favorites.
As I understand Diners are becoming rarer and a lot of them keep closing, which is a shame. It is good to know that there are still some owners who try to preserve this cultural and culinary history. A very interesting video, very beautiful venue with good retro décor and an appetizing menu.
Unfortunately most diners at some point became garbage quality. I dont expect a diner like this to go out of business - it has quality through and through. A lot of other diners are serving canned food, premade food, etc.
Yes, he said that at the beginning of the video...
@@SuWoopSparrow Well a traditional diner is a budget set up. There was even a company that sold pre-fab diners & menu. So of course as the food industry had more processing, so did diners. Making stuff in house costs money, so they don't. Really a Waffle House is more like the original diners, with the old Big Boys being the upper end.
This is really much higher end than traditional diners ever were. It's really a nicer restaurant with it's menu starting point being the standard diner menu, done better with additions.
@@recoil53 Yea, but budget doesnt have to mean processed. The spirit of what diners were is still thriving in Europe - casual, local restaurants with cheap menus, but the bulk of what matters is made in house.
Yes, your chili will be better if you use ribeye and tenderloin trimmings, but your cheaper cuts will make a great chili still as long as you do it yourself. This doesnt have to jack up the price above the "budget-friendly" bracket. However, heating up a bunch of Franks Excessive Sodium Chili to serve to customers is only going to minimally reduce labor cost, while greatly reducing quality. Thats what American diners have become.
@@SuWoopSparrow It definitely takes more time to make stuff instead of cracking open a can and dumping it into a heater. And it takes less skill. Time & skill cost money.
Look, that's what people pay for - somebody else to reheat their premade food. I'm not defending it.
This is the type of restaurant every chef dreams of working at. Truly top notch, and the portions are MEGA!
You can tell a diner is doing well when the owner is wearing a Patek 😁 Looks like a great place - food looks awesome!
Oh it is, foods great, great portions, bit pricy but honestly worth every penny
Me being a broke amateur watch enthusiast, that's the first thing I noticed. Good for him. Classy.
Right…whole time I’m thinking…that place brings in some revenue for sure…owner wearing a Patek and all!
was combing thru the comment section to see who else noticed this...wasn't disappointed xD
Lool first thing I noticed. I’ve been going to tops for about 20 years and trust me he deserves it.
I can't imagine how anybody can do it better than this, and not just in New Jersey but anywhere in the world. I am absolutely blown away by this place.
In Las Vegas casinos there’s good food that’s similar to that but Tops Diner probably has better historical vibes and maybe more stable and consistent since they already have a strong custom base.
Definitely brings me back to my childhood growing up on Long Island. The diner culture there was very similar and every town had its own diner. This place looks great!
When I was a kid,1966-1967, my family had a little gas station/trucking company just down Passaic Avenue from Tops. I was proud when they trusted me to make the Coffee run to the original diner. Best Hot Chocolate ever back then, and coffee and rolls and pastries satisfied long before Starbucks. Now living in California, but Tops is first stop whenever we hit Newark Airport!
Love how the owner embraces not only his customers but also his workers 🙏🏽such a great background story, never been to jersey but if I ever do go I’ll definitely be stopping by , food looks fantastic!
This is a crazy. I am also in the restaurant industry as a fast food franchisee and our stores do very well. We are very prideful in how we take care of our staff and run our stores, but to see the organization and scale to which these people are running this place is wild. The amount of money to run this place alone probably has to be at least a million bucks a month. I would love to visit this place.
I’m thinking about becoming a franchisee. How profitable is that business? Thanks
@@holdenbrowning7200 We have about 100 locations, a couple of different brands, in California and Texas (about 65 Cal/35 TX split) The texas locations are definitely easier to operate, cheaper, and probably more profitable from a percentage standpoint. CA has a ton of laws that makes it very difficult for employers and heavily favors workers rights. This makes it quite expensive to operate and a lot harder to find quality employees, but the stores that do profit here, can profit 30k-40k a month, whereas in TX, your big hitters will profit maybe a quarter of that. I would probably say 60% of stores are anywhere between 1-5% up, 20% lost money anywhere from 1-10% and the remaining 20% are up 10-15% a month. And those percentage are based off of expenses, lets call it an average of 100k to run a store for a month. Fast food can be hit or miss due to how a ton of variables, the most important probably being good locations and good leases (rent amounts). At the end of each period, we probably do about maybe between 5-10% up throughout the whole company (all 100 stores, and this can vary quite a bit due to different seasons or operation efficiencies) It can be a lot of work for something that may not profit off of all that much, granted we do have a lot of stores and the percentage of our stores that lose money is probably higher than other franchisees, since we do not like pulling stores out just because they lose a little money. One piece of advice tho, if you buy 10 restaurants (strong brands like Taco Bell, McDonalds, Chic-fil-a, etc.), you will probably make more money selling it in 10 years, than you would the entire time operating the stores. A lot of the value comes from how much the value of the brand goes up. I've seen some franchisees make $30 mil (sale price, not profit) off selling there 20 stores.
They are probably taking in 3-5 million a month in sales.
@@holdenbrowning7200 sorry super late response! It’s very challenging and depending on the state you’re in (we are in CA) it’s almost not worth even trying. We got in a longgggg time ago maybe 20ish years ago so we have been established for a while but with wages and costs going up and people not wanting to spend that much on fast food, a lot of our locations are not profitable at all. Out of 100 of our locations probably about 10 of them make REAL good money. The rest just about break even or the profit is so small that it really isn’t worth it. Laws are also shifting pretty hard towards workers rights over company rights which is good in a lot of case but make it a thousand times harder to be good employers. We ALWAYS have at least a dozen lawsuits open from employees trying to claim injury or file some type of hostile workplace claim (whether they are valid or not, and it’s our job to investigate even if it’s a bold face lie) it’s a ton of work lol
And for reference, we are one of the top franchisees in our brand lol so it’s hard for everyone
@@holdenbrowning7200 very expensive depending on the state. I am in CA where theres a million laws and taxes that make everything way too expensive and labor hard to find/very expensive. We have about 100 stores, about half in tx half in ca. we probably get at least 10 different lawsuits every year... all from CA... from disgruntled employees to customers that come in with rulers trying to find things that arent compliant to injury lawsuits that are very valid and we are happy to help with. Out of 100 stores maybe half are profitable and the maybe 20 of those make REALLY good money. The rest do mediocre or lose money. if you did want to get started Id say start with like one store of something, and really learn it and take care of it and try your hardest to satisfy customers, employees, build culture. Start from one and build leaders from within. It's a lot of work lol
A diner that makes its own veal stock for brown gravy?! I'd be more keen to call this establishment an upscale restaurant. This is an impressive place and all of the chefs and cooks seem top-tier!
Just seeing the kitchen, it is a high end restaurant. They just happen to build around a traditional diner menu.
It looks like his father built up quality over the years.
it is I go here like three times a week cuz i go to college in newark and it’s more of a high end restaurant than diner
What is big deal even on cruise ship we make brown sauce from scratch
Everything they served looked delicious. Is it just me, or did their disco fries remind anyone else of Canada's poutine?
Poutine traditionally uses cheese curds instead of shredded cheese, but other than that its the same.
2am Disco fries after a good night with friends hits so hard believe me…i love a and miss this place gotta come back to visit the new site!!
Yeah it’s just poutine lol
@@gwynne23 If you gave disco fries to a Canadian and told them it was poutine, they would disagree (politely though, very politely).
Poutine is a Quebecois dish... not Canadian. Vive le Canada, oui.... mais vive le Quebec libre!
Grew up in Jersey and enjoyed many a diner trip…usually breakfast or after hitting the bars, so got the usual items - patty melt, omelette, disco fries, et al., and loved them all, but always avoided the “entree level” stuff, figuring it sat in the walk-in for days. Have to re-think things now - this is NEXT LEVEL Jersey diner food! Between seeing the Jade range in the video, all the from-scratch items, and huge staff cooking a la minute legit ingredients, I need to get my ass back there and pay a visit!
Was here last week and it was my 5th time. I’m lucky to be living close to this diner. Seeing how clean how their food all comes from scratch makes me love it more! This place is amazing and it’s always packed! Make sure to try the Skirt steak!
This sounds like it should be a stop on every east coast road trip. A lot of people don't stop in Connecticut and Jersey but the diners there are the best in the world
Love the fact that the owner treats his employees with much respect
On camera sure
@@itsascaryworld9788Look at how long employees have been there. Even if places are closing there's still quite huge demand for solid skilled kitchen staff. They're sticking for a reason.
@@jenelaina5665 because they need a job and are comfortable, you obviously haven’t worked at a restaurant before. Staff come and go.
Pretty sure majority of those employees don’t work there anymore.
@@itsascaryworld9788 it was JUST published and multiple people have been there decade+. I *have* which is why I know it's rare. This seems to be an exception to the rule and they do exist. Christ.
@@itsascaryworld9788Off camera, is a different story. Don't let that fool you.
I lived in harrison for about 8 years and this was our spot. any celebration, anyone visiting, need a place to hang, eat after a night drinking, breakfast before heading to work, etc etc was always at tops. For about a 6month period, me and a couple of friends were there twice a week - pitcher of peach sangria and shrimp. Remember waiting an hour and a half for a table once in 20 degree weather and being worth it.
Man this place looks incredible, you can really tell that people care about their work simply due to how busy that kitchen is and it is still nearly spotlessly clean. I have no idea why I would ever end up in New Jersey, but if I ever do I want to eat here.
“This gravy is laborious, it’s a laborious sign of love & tradition.” That right there.
I miss our family restaurant.. the hustle and bustle of the kitchen is music to my ears. The front of the house was always full of smiles and memorable conversations with our loyal customers. I miss it all, now I’m at a desk job. Lol
I eat here once a week. Food & desserts are always good! It was voted the best diner in the US.
I grew up in Jersey and the Diners really make Jersey a special place. Open 24 hours 7 days a week is amazing. they have bars great bakeries amazing wait staff.
I miss the old Tops decor, but one thing that never changes is that they have the BEST, literally untouchably BEST corned beef hash on the planet
OOOOOHHH!!!! Now I need to go. I LOVE corned beef hash! Thank you for that!
Pre-renovation, I was privileged to enjoy Tops Diner regularly. I was on an hourly salary and STILL it was the best food and value for money, even on the “cheaper” menu items! So excited to see them on this video and can’t wait to go back, as now I’m going for the surf and turf!!
The really impressive thing about this spot is the huge scale, but where they not only don't cut corners, they actually have a higher quality of prep than a lot of smaller places!
Love love, love this. I’ve worked in many diners in my life in New York City and New Jersey and I’ve heard of Tops and eaten there. Glad that the family continued the legacy. God bless them.
to keep the level of quality with the varying amount of food being made is outstanding, hope to visit these guys one day
Wow one of the nicest, cleanest, professional, diners I’ve seen....the food looks 🔥
Damn that cheesecake looked like its worth flying 2000 miles for.
I'll come with you 🫢
Every time we went to Tops, the rotating cheesecake cabinet beckoned ... but then the meal was so giant and delicious that no one had any room. We did split a piece once and it was phenomenal!
That's a serious operation. Super impressed. Thx for sharing!
They got a serious kitchen over there at Tops! Almost like a high end buffet at a casino.
We love that Henny Penny Fryer!
This place is amazing!! Literally was a last minute pick and now I want to travel back to NJ just for this place!! 100/10
That's a powerhouse of a kitchen staff right there.
This is excellent! What a place!!! We've got to get to Top's Diner! Great segment. The kitchen is incredibly. The whole place is so well run. Congrats folks.
WoW that makes me wish I lived in Jersey! Kept it up your Tops kitchen is one of the cleanest kitchen I have ever seen and the dining shots are definitely more than a typical diner. Bravo 👏
No, PLEASE don't move there! Just visit. You'll be much much safer.
“Brazilian lobster, it’s a warm water lobster.” Thank you for being honest. Not the typical “oh it’s Maine lobster…. Lobsters in Maine are in the same ocean of the lobsters I buy so yeah it’s Maine lobster.” Warm water lobster is great too.
They also say they use Maine lobsters for their Mac & Cheese. Any other restaurant would just buy the cheapest lobster and call it whatever people want to hear.
We appreciate this channel’s dedication in producing such high quality for us. God bless them all.
Two hard atheists say no. I say YES God bless them.
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I love Tops, as a Newark resident you can’t think of a great place to go eat without considering Tops. Best diner in NJ, especially after remodeling they really improved even more then before it’s a great establishment, I am glad I know a little more about my city
Latino chefs, thanks. You make things happen.
Respect for the guy. Takes alot of effort, stress, management, focus and trust in to run this sort of business.
Respect to his employees
My Dude Chef Steve been doing his thing for a long time. Keep up the good work bro
This is some Michellin Level stuff! More than expected in a Diner. Wow. Kudos to the management and staff that makes this a must visit place in Jersey!
The portion sizes are insane.. everything cooked from scratch though incredible
Man, it's crazy how they put out so much quantity without compromising on quality at all. They have truly earned all of their success
salute to all the talented latinos working hard in the kitchen to feed people. they deserve all the ctredit
I'm a retired Chef from NY and moved to Myrtle Beach then Oklahoma and I'm blown away!! KEEP UP THE FANTASTIC WORK TOPS!!!
I been eating at tops diner since 1998. Had my first real date their in 2004, fast forward 2023 I’m still eating at tops, and still with the person I ate with on that date in 2004, she is now my wife, and still eat at tops with her and our kids.
I grew up going to this diner! Definitely a legacy restaurant!
I knew it was Top’s Diner before the video started! Always loved the food here!
I'm vegetarian for many years - and I must say my mouth is watering; I would completely lose it there and attack that fried chicken and that mac and cheese with lobster AND those disco fries - everything looks delicious and very high quality ---great video!
Come on back over to the other side! It tastes better. lol
I love their services, menu and food. There is always good music playing as well.
Btw this diner was amazing before the remodel
New Jersey does have the best diners. Great to see these independent diners with their own way of cooking great home cooked meals. These are the true entrepreneurs, the ones that do it all, not like the franchisers who serve Frankenfood, precooked, proportioned to be fake food to eat. Give this man a high five for being a real restaurateur.
Love your fryer it different then what I seen in the restaurant business nice best restaurant use old and new to create beautiful goodness food omg love this chicken fried chicken wow
Respect to all the people creating an amazing restaurant experience like this. You don’t get this kind of quality an every restaurant and being in the industry, this is a difficult thing to do. Especially after Covid and the work force leaving the service industry for other work. So awesome!
I always come back to this video. It's inspiring to see people dedicated to making others a bit happier instead of focusing only on the profits.
This restaurant is amazing and well tuned to perfection love places that have it on the point. Must come here this year from Toronto Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 love my beautiful Neighbors united state of America loved the food love the places and I love the restaurants and this is one of them wow kudos to you the owner and the people that working in a beautiful place come and eat and eat
Brother you need to bring to every big city in the World.
Everyone that works for Tops works like they own this joint.
Well done Dimitri! Always proud to see so successful Greeks around the World!
I wish I had known about this place when I lived in the area. I definitely would have loved to eat there. If I ever make it back, I'll make sure to check it out. The food looks amazing and the amount of skill that goes into making that broad range of dishes is outstanding. Kudos.
Been going here for Almost 30 years and it NEVER disappoints!!
The dishes showed in the video already made my mouth- watering. Hopefully, i could be there one day to sample all the signature dishes and the desserts as well
OMG 18 hours to make this gravy wow you are real deal nice old school and honesty in your work hard work wow I got a visit your establishment one day you guys are the real deal of making great food for people God bless you guys from Toronto Ontario Canada my luck he loved it neighbors of the United States bless you keep the good work coming in your establishment keep people happy piano that is that’s what all people one great food great people great places that’s what it’s all about in this world
It’s great that the staffs were recognized for their dedication.
Having owned several small restaurants, this isn't a 'diner'. It's a fine-dining establishment.
The size and complexity are mind-boggling.
It takes a LOT of dedicated people to keep a place like this running.
I would just like to say thank you for your RUclips channel after watching this one I went to tops two days later I enjoyed everything about it the staff, the vibe, ambience,
The owner is such a great person. It shows he cares about his staff and wants to pay homage to where he started.
Tops is the gold standard every diner owner compares themselves. Their sustained long term success is not a fluke or based off a five star location. Its all about hiring quality people, treating and compensating them above industry standards, unyielding focus on the quality of their food and customer service, reinvesting profits into upgrading their facilities and the willingness to adapt to food trends consumers seek. That family deserves and has earned every penny of their vast fortune.
Surprised to see a NJ diner on here but it's nice to see indeed.
Tops is the perfect name for the restaurant. That food looks great, and the kitchen looks clean and professional. I would love to visit there some day.
Bravo to that mans father and him. That place looks amazing and the food WOW! Keep grinding guys.👍✌
As a retired over the roader, I always loved New Jersey. I had my spots. It's crazy there, but it's a good crazy. It's alive.
The food and place look amazing 🤘
Those chefs and cooks look so passionate and orderly in what they do and the food looks delicious!
NJ has truly kept the diner alive
I never been more impressed in my life and thats on everything😍😍 When I come back home this is the first Diner I'm hitting God bless you and your staff you are all on point this is what you call team work and is deftinely giving dream works
That one big portion, is that normal portion for any diner in US?
The disco fries are an appetizer meant to be shared at a table, but all the other stuff (the surf & turf, chicken & waffles, lobster mac & cheese, etc.) are all something a single person would order as their main entree at this restaurant. Portions here look a little bit above average in size and are probably above average in price too. Overall, our portion sizes in the US are just massive, and they tend to get more massive at the locally owned diners and dives and mom & pop restaurants that people frequent.
Was thinking the same thing. But yes think those are standard US portions, which in the rest of the world would feed 2 people :)
thats why muricans are obese
@@MrMortErik They're not. Some things are served family style and also we do a thing here called leftovers, which isn't so much a thing elsewhere.
Kudos to YOU and your staff!!! Keep up the GREAT work for being on-point!!! Very WELL RUN organization!!! :)-
Man, that strawberry cheesecake. Worth travelling halfway around the world for a bite imo - greetings and much love from NZ. 👍👏
Watching this video from Michigan is making my mouth water. I’ve never wanted to visit a restaurant more in my life, just checked it’s only a 9 hour drive.🤣🤣
its insane how every greek that came in my parents generation just opened resteraunts or bought out the resteraunts that they worked at.
The same in Australia. Greek migrants ran cafes and fish and chip shops as well as working day jobs.
@@paulshadlow5330 fun fact, greeks brought the burger from america to australia when greek americans left the USA in the last 50 years and settled in australia.
Born and raised in NJ lived for 40 years there and now living in NC this is just another reason why I always love NJ
Me before the video: I have no desire to visit NJ
Me after the video on Google Maps: how long is the drive from Florida to NJ… 😅
Do a diner road trip!
@@eater NOW THAT WOULD BE FUN !!
Wonderful story! I am headed to this diner this weekend!
I'm always up for a good diner and this looks like a great one
impressive staff, food, kitchen, everything!!
I used to go there all the time when I was in school in Newark. Hands down my favorite restaurant in US!!
This organisation is a great example of superb work and amazing result in their dishes 🎉🎉🎉cheers from Russia folks
The owners Patek Nautilus is fire