The original Terry’s was opened in the fall of 1956 by Terry Holmes Sr. and his wife, Marion Wargo Holmes, and was located slightly to the left of the present diner. Other sites were considered—including an area in the vicinity of Cedar Lanes Bowling Alley in South Scranton.

          The diner was the last of the famous Jerry O’Mahoney dining cars manufactured in Elizabeth, New Jersey. O’Mahoney dining cars were often considered the Cadillacs of dining cars. The diner seated 50 people and featured stainless steel construction, as opposed to the porcelain dining cars of the 1940s.

          In 1983, an addition was built to seat 150 more guests, including a room dedicated to football legend Jim Crowley, one of the “Four Horsemen of Notre Dame” and a close friend of Terry Sr. A frequent guest at the diner, Jim donated several of his trophies, which were prominently displayed in the new addition. One resembled the Heisman Trophy; in fact, when the Heisman was being designed, Jim—then a Fordham coach who also coached Vince Lombardi—suggested using one of his players as the model. A similar trophy was later presented to Jim in recognition of his role.

          On the bitterly cold morning of Valentine’s Day in 1999, as the staff prepared for what was expected to be a busy Sunday, a devastating fire erupted. The fire raged through the new addition and later the oringial diner car itself, destroying everything—including the trophies. Nothing remained but molten metal. The fire burned so intensely that paper currency stored in a fireproof box was singed, and even the coins inside were damaged. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. The fire burned for more than four hours.

         The Holmes family was devastated. Terry Jr. and his wife, Linda Kollra Holmes, made the decision to rebuild. They purchased the Skyliner Diner in Dupont, Pennsylvania. After considering several diners for sale, Terry felt a strong connection to the Skyliner because his father’s sister, Mary Holmes Occhipinti, had originally owned it. It was also a Jerry O’Mahoney diner. In June 1999, the diner was transported up Interstate 81 from Dupont to its current location. Terry Jr. and Linda then built the addition around it.

          The new TERRY’S reopened in April 2000 and features an extensive menu of over 250 items. Since then, TERRY’S has received numerous awards, which are proudly displayed in the hallway. TERRY’S to-go menu was also featured on NBC’s The Office (Season 4, Episodes 7 & 8), later immortalized as a LEGO piece in the official The Office LEGO set—see it under the register! In addition, Joe Biden paid us a surprise visit in 2014 while in the area. More recently, members of Breaking Benjamin have stopped in as well.

          TERRY’S has proudly served the community for more than 70 years, continuing a tradition of family-owned service and hands-on dedication. Across generations, the diner has remained rooted in daily involvement, creativity, and consistency—values that have shaped its character and sustained it for decades.

          Just as important are the many longtime employees—too numerous to name—whose dedication and loyalty helped build TERRY’S into what it is today. Some spent decades here, many returned after the fire to help rebuild, and all left their mark. Together, past and present staff are the heart of TERRY’S, defining it as a place built on resilience, commitment, and a true sense of family.