Historic North Jersey Diner Re-Opens This Weekend, After Renovations

PATERSON, NJ — The well-known Mr. G's Diner is opening its doors again in Paterson, continuing a long tradition of serving up classic food and providing a place for community members and friends to gather.

After a ribbon-cutting on Friday morning, the vintage eatery at the corner of 10th Avenue and 18th Street will be celebrating its grand re-opening on Saturday and Sunday with dining hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Menu items will include diner favorites such as wings, sandwiches, breakfast dishes, and desserts — along with oxtails, loaded fries, and chicken and waffles.

This longtime landmark (455 East 18th Street, Paterson) was first built in 1940 under the name Pickering's Grill and has gone through several name changes, according to JerseyBites.com.

Mr. G's Diner has been the eatery's name since civil rights activist Russell “G” Graddy bought the building in 2008. A two-block section of 10th Avenue is also named for Graddy, who died in 2021. Graddy was part of a group that organized for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to speak in Paterson in 1968 — not long before King's assassination, as NorthJersey.com noted.

Mr. G's underwent major renovations to prepare for its reopening, and is also under new management: Entrepreneurs Vaughn and Marnie McKoy, and local businessman Yaakoub Hijazi, who also owns Star Laundry and was named in the Forbes "30 Under 30" back in 2020. Vaughn McCoy is a Paterson native and a former city business administrator.

"We're honored to continue the legacy of Mr. G's Diner," he said in a statement. "This is more than just a diner; it's a place where memories are made and shared."

Earlier this year, Graddy's daughter Lenise told NorthJersey.com that the family was considering taking legal action against the new owners for using the Mr. G's name, and said some community members thought the Graddy family was involved in the re-opening.

In a statement to the publication, McKoy said the name "is a tribute to the trailblazer Mr. G. was, and it is a continuation of his legacy in the community — particularly as it sits on a street named in his honor."

As of Friday, there are no records in the New Jersey court system of any civil lawsuit over the Mr. G's name.