'Friday The 13th' Diner Celebrates 70th Anniversary In Blairstown

BLAIRSTOWN, NJ — The iconic Blairstown Diner, featured in the horror classic "Friday the 13th," is celebrating its 70thanniversary with a new owner and new improvements.

Gary D. Wishnia, a Frelinghuysen resident, is the diners new owner as of January. He was moved to buy the diner after coming to it regularly for years, and felt "an opportunity and obligation to restore the Blairstown Diner back to its too original feel."

Some of the changes include extended hours: the diner will now be open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. They serve all three meals, and are BYOB. They serve Jersey diner favorites, like breakfast sandwiches, burgers and more. You can see their menu here.

"At the Blairstown Diner, we have good old-fashioned food and great people! We are making improvements to both the building and the menu. The roof was leaking for years - we have replaced the roof, installed new air conditioning and heating units, polished all the stainless steel, had the seats reupholstered and much more," said Wishnia.

Blairstown has become a pilgrimage site for die-hard fans of the 1980s horror film. A local performance center screens the movie whenever a Friday the 13th happens, and the real-life Crystal Lake (Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco) holds period tours.

Business spikes at the diner every Friday the 13th (in 2019, September and December will both see a Friday the 13th).

"On every Friday the 13th locals and tourists come from all over the tri-state area to eat at this historic diner and meet the cast of the movie. On every Friday the 13th the visitors have the chance to see the locations where the movie was filmed then stop by the diner for a bite to eat," the diner boasts on their website.