How Can You Tell It's a Valentine?There are thousands of diners all over the United States. How can you tell if they were made by Valentine?There are several distinguishing characteristics of Valentine diners. Here you will find tips to help you identify them, including images from catalogs issued by the company. One important thing to remember is that diner owners gave their businesses all sorts of names. You won't see a marquee reading "Valentine Diner" on one of these buildings. The names are as individual as their owners: Flo-Inn, Dyne-Quik, and Brint's are just a few of the businesses that have operated in Valentine-made diner buildings. 
Valentine diners are best described as small boxes. Definitely not fancy and not even particularly attractive, the little square-sided structures were designed to be easily moved on flatbed trucks. Inside, stools were placed around a counter, which kept the customer out of the work area. The early models had no booths, and the size and design of the diner depended on the type of business the owner operated; operators who were willing to provide curb service needed their pick-up window situated away from the cook and/or dishwasher. There are two distinguishing characteristics to look for on the interior of a diner that can help identify it as a Valentine. The first is a small wall safe located just inside the door (image on right). Operators would put a percentage of each day's profits in the wall safe, and a Valentine representative would make regular rounds, removing the payment from each diner on the route. Wall safes were phased out on new models by around 1960. Many of these safes remain intact inside Valentine diners. 
The other feature to look for is the serial plate (image on left). These usually are located above a door, or sometimes on a wall above the cash register or on part of the ceiling directly above the counter. Serial plates were instituted in the late 1950s and can be seen on the later models. It's also possible to recognize a Valentine from the exterior, based on its model type. In its years of operation, Valentine produced not only several models of diners, but also prefabricated steel buildings for other uses, all related to the automobile and highway culture. The models represent attempts by the Valentine companies to adapt and bring in additional business. They are briefly described below. AristocratDesigned in late 1940s by Richard Ten Eyck, a Wichita industrial designer, this 8-stool model is recognizable from the outside by the rounded parapet above the door (flush with the front facade), and buttresses at the corners. Big ChefA 1960s brochure shows it with 10 stools and a window for drive-in/carryout service. Large windows
run
across the front and one side, with quilted stainless steel panels below the windows. The roof slants
down toward the back of the building. Burger BarA late 1940s/early 1950s brochure indicates it was designed only for walk-up and drive-up traffic;
there was no seating. Early models show straight walls on all sides, but later the front wall--with the
walk-up windows--slants in toward the ground. In the late 1960s it took on an airy look with larger windows
and a mansard-style roof. Double Deluxe / Dyne-QuikA late 1950s brochure indicates it has 10 stools and seven booths for
36 customers. The appearance of the exterior matches the late 1950s
description of the Little Chef, but the building's
footprint is twice the size. This model also is referred to as Dyne-Quik
in a Dyna-Co. brochure. A late 1960s
brochure shows only 8 stools and 6 booths, perhaps offering additional
room for the customer. Windows and roofline appear the same as the Roadside
model. Drummer BoyA late 1960s Valentine-Pyramid
product, it had booth space for 64 and could be customized in its exterior
appearance. Windows were around the building for most of three sides,
with a mansard-style roof. The company flier shows that the building
could be made to look as if it was of brick construction. Economy Sandwich ShopA basic 8-stool building of the late 1940s / early 1950s, with no restroom.
On the exterior it differs from the Aristocrat
as the pylon cuts across the front roofline, rather than being flush
with it. Little ChefAppears to be the renamed Master model. Late
1950s Little Chefs are much the same as the Master, but on the exterior
the parapet slants outward and the corner buttresses are gone. MasterThe Master appears to have been the first 10-stool
Valentine, and eventually becomes the Little
Chef. On the exterior the parapet is no longer flush to the roofline,
but cuts across it. The buttresses are shorter than on the Aristocrat.
Three separate interior floor plans were used. Nifty-NineA nine-stool diner made in the early 1950s, resembling the Master on the exterior, with one less stool, less storage, and no restroom. Quick FoodAppearing in the late 1960s, the exterior is similar to the Roadside
model. Seven booths for seating are in the front of the building, while
a kitchen and a walk-up counter are in the back. RoadsideA late 1960s model with four booths at one end, and the kitchen and
a carryout window on the other. Like the 1960s Big
Chef, windows curve around the customer seating area, and the roofline
reflects a mansard style. A-frameA Valentine-Pyramid model,
it appears to have been marketed as an alternative look for a drive-in
restaurant. The company doesn't seem to have given this model a specific
name, so "A-frame" is an arbitrary term. OtherValentine also manufactured ice cream stores, liquor stores, service stations, dry cleaning shops, and parking lot buildings. Some of these include: Derby Service StationsOriginally made in the late 1950s with a projecting, glassed-in bay
at the center of the building. Later stations had a rectangular footprint. Satellite Banking Service CenterMade in the 1960s, with a drive-up window in a 5' x 9' or 5' x 15' building for drive-thru banking. Tourist CabinsAn idea from the late 1940s for complete tourist courts. Includes prefabricated cabins, either single or double occupancy; an office unit; a diner; and a house that could be used as the owner's residence. There is no indication how many of these, if any, were built. Liquor StoresSold after Kansas repealed Prohibition in 1949, these were essentially diner buildings without the fixtures. U-Wash-MeA small metal building outfitted with car washing equipment, with walls and supports for up to six
stalls, from the 1960s. Explore these links on the Valentine story:
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