An Excerpt from ‘The History of Diners in New Jersey’ by Michael Gabriele
In the early 1970s I was a semi-regular at the Tick Tock Diner in Clifton, alongwith my friends Patrick and Bill. We usually would arrive around two o’clock inthe morning and the place was packed.
A late-night breakfast at the Tick Tock really was a “graveyard charade anda late-shift masquerade,” as poetically described by the noble bard Tom Waits.Van Morrison’s tune “Domino” was our top choice on the jukebox.
Nick, the avuncular owner, was the star of the show—day ornight—welcoming everyone to “eat heavy, my friends” with his gravely, fatherlyvoice.
Eat heavy. Aside from the obvious reference to food, it was Nick’s way oftelling customers to live well, enjoy life, seize the moment and savor the time spent breaking bread together. The diner created an “Eat Heavy” clock as part of its rooftop neon sign to commemorate the iconic phrase. It’s still there.
Patrick, a most devoted patron, often stopped at the Tick Tock for a secondlunch after finishing his classes at Clifton High School. Bill’s routine was toobsessively count half-spoonfuls of sugar in multiples of two for his coffee. I was fond of scarfing up the deep-fried seafood platter and enjoying the tasty crullers.
Our favorite grill man was George, who frenetically served customers andpiled tempting mounds of home fries onto the grill. The sizzle and the aroma were intoxicating.
After finishing our meal, George, speaking with his distinctive Greek accentand smiling nervously, typically had only a few words of advice to bid us farewell.
They were always the same words of advice. “Be good, boys. Don’t be hippies,” he said each time we paid our bill and stumbled out the door.
As we drove off, with the Tick Tock’s silvery reflection growing smaller anddimmer in our rear-view mirror, fifty-five years have flashed by. Today, I live less than a mile from the Tick Tock, its blue and red neon lights visible from mybackyard. Nice view.
“Domino” on the jukebox, the sizzle of home fries, counting half-spoonfulsof sugar in multiples of two, and repeated warnings not to become ahippie—memories like these are always on the menu. They sustain you, like aprayer.
Eat heavy, my friends. Eat heavy.
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