diner

[dahy-ner] /ˈdaɪ nər/
noun
1.
a person who dines.
2.
a railroad dining car.
3.
a restaurant built like such a car.
4.
a small, informal, and usually inexpensive restaurant.
Origin
1800-10; dine + -er1
Can be confused
diner, dinner.
Examples from the web for diner
  • Restaurant menus are no longer a set list of choices but the starting point for negotiations between diner and waiter.
  • He was working at a local diner, and was so poorly treated, that he harmed the manager and subsequently re-offended.
  • If a diner is eating at one of his restaurants for the first time, the staff is alerted.
  • All have a role in helping to make a diner's experience pleasant.
British Dictionary definitions for diner

diner

/ˈdaɪnə/
noun
1.
a person eating a meal, esp in a restaurant
2.
(mainly US & Canadian) a small restaurant, often at the roadside
3.
a fashionable bar, or a section of one, where food is served
Word Origin and History for diner
n.

"one who dines, 1815," agent noun from dine. Meaning "railway car for eating" is 1890, American English; of restaurants built to resemble dining cars (or in some cases actual converted dining cars) from 1935. The Diner's Club credit card system dates from 1952.