TV Restaurants

Who Runs Franks Diner Now? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 1 Kenosha, Wisconsin

Current status

New owners

As of October 2026, Franks Diner operates under new ownership — confirmed via wgntv.com, July 2026.

What the source shows: WGN reported that Franks Diner, owned by Julie Rittmiller and Kevin Ervin for almost 17 years, was sold to Pablo and Diana Escribano with the transfer official at the end of July 2026; Yelp's September 2026 listing shows the diner still operating under the Franks Diner name at the same address. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' fourth episode, 'Breakfast' (aired 2007-05-21), featured Franks Diner, a Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company lunch-car diner that opened in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1926, according to Wikipedia. WGN reported that the diner, long known for its homemade bread, large pancakes, and its signature Garbage Plate, changed hands at the end of July 2026, when longtime owners Julie Rittmiller and Kevin Ervin, who had run Franks for almost seventeen years, transferred ownership to Pablo and Diana Escribano, a longtime employee of the diner and his wife. Yelp's listing, updated in September 2026, showed the diner still operating under the Franks Diner name at 508 58th Street, with posted weekday hours of 6 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The diner continues to be marketed as the oldest continuously operating lunch-car diner in the country.

The episode Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 1

Episode 4
Aired
Title: Breakfast · What was featured: hearty breakfast diner fare including pancakes and the Garbage Plate
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 1 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season 1: 21 of 37 still open · 5 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 12 Season 1 episodes →

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Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 3 references

  1. wgntv.com https://wgntv.com/news/kenosha/the-iconic-franks-diner-in-kenosha-wisconsin-being-sold-to-new-owners-at-the-end-of-july-current-owners-announce/
  2. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/franks-diner-kenosha
  3. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franks_Diner
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Record ddd-0010 · checked by Cal Marchetti.