One of the coolest things about diners are the staff. Some of them have been at those places for years and are funny! When I was a newspaper editor many years ago, I had breakfast every day in a Tampa diner, and the waitress would always say, "You want the same damned thing you had yesterday?" And I'd always say, "Yep!"
Some brick-and-mortar restaurants aren't really diners, but have similar food and you can watch the short-order cooks with their amazing economy of movement. The old Ranch House chain was like that, and the Waffle Houses are, too. One of my favorites, back when I had our offices down in the Silver Hill, Maryland, area, was a place called "Steak in a Sack."
Great breakfasts any time of day or night. And grits. I have to have cheese grits, no matter what.