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Diner

gameactive22 mentionsFirst seen Nov 20, 2014Last seen Mar 19, 2026

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Diner is a classic Williams System 11 pinball machine known for its superior sound design compared to contemporaries like Bad Cats. The game has been featured across multiple pinball media platforms and communities, including Pinball Arcade digital recreation. It's notable in competitive play for an exploitable tournament strategy involving timeout sequences, and has been documented in technical repair contexts for coil issues on blanking circuit chips. The machine remains actively traded in the collector market, with custom playfield versions available through groups like Rochester Pinball Collective.

Aliases

No aliases

Relationships

  • appears_inBad CatsReferenced in direct comparison of sound design qualitymedium
  • manufacturesWilliamsDiner is a Williams System 11 gamemedium
  • appears_inPinball ArcadeDigital recreation featured as Table of the Weekmedium
  • appears_inTaxiPinball Arcade version of Diner is noted as sequel to Taximedium

Facts

No facts recorded

Claims

No claims

Recent Mentions (22)

  • Williams 1990 classic designed by Mark Ritchie; coming to Pinball FX April 30

    Turner Pinball Shows Off Yukon Yeti Gameplay; New Aftermarket Card Dispenser Pokémon Pinball; New Bally / Williams Tables Coming to Pinball FX & MoreMar 19, 2026
  • Pinball game featuring ramp-based lock sequences, left/right ramp strategy, dine time awards; Raymond placed second at IFPA 16 with 23 million vs Zach's 25 million

    Episode 9 - IFPA 16Jun 17, 2019
  • Stern machine featured in INDISC Open finals; suffered plastic jam in saucer requiring live repair from underneath; Eric Stone scored $8.5 million after repair (highest on game)

    #22 Dave interviews Eric Stone INDISC Open Champion The Classic Pinball PodcastJan 17, 2020
  • Modern game at INDISC with bounty; featured special code resetting diner letters on multiball

    Episode 14 - INDISC Part 1Jan 12, 2020
  • System 11 pinball by Mark Ritchie; sister table to Taxi; referenced in context of scoring balance in pinball design

    #121 Taxi - The Classic Pinball PodcastNov 18, 2024
  • Williams classic from taxi era; featured in Don's personal top-5 games segment as #5

Contradictions

No contradictions detected

Related Glossary Terms

No linked glossary terms

DPP #74 "JJP next! Stranger Things out soon!
Oct 7, 2023
  • First game played in Open Finals; classic pinball machine with focus on right ramp accuracy and multiball strategy

    INDISC 2020 - The Open FinalsJan 11, 2022
  • Classic food-themed pinball game referenced as precedent for Food Truck's thematic appeal

    Ep 28: WhatabonusFeb 27, 2021
  • Pinball machine; mentioned as potentially having issues (host uncertain if it was Diner or Ice Fever that had problems)

    Tucson Pinball Podcast – Episode 75 – Does Not ComputeJan 1, 2025
  • Pinball machine criticized by Scotty for repetitive order collection mechanics; Pizza Time designed as improvement by randomizing orders per-pizza

    Pizza Time Preview (Scotty Wic 2020)Nov 18, 2020
  • Pinball machine designed by Mark Ritchie

    Day 1 of THE GETAWAY Battle Week!Nov 20, 2014
  • Classic pinball machine used as base platform for Cacciola's Lupin III conversion. Selected due to matching letter/number count on playfield.

    EP2025 - Alessandro Cacciola - Pinball NewsJun 1, 2025
  • Pinball machine in Bob's collection; listed among machines Bob owns

    #34 - Bob CaldwellDec 15, 2020
  • Pinball machine; Ralph's first game at Electric Bat tournament, placed first

    Episode 17: "I Can't Believe This Happened! My Epic Pinball Tournament Comeback"Nov 13, 2024
  • Full-featured pinball game whose location performance was rivaled by Silver Slugger despite Diner's higher manufacturing cost

    THE HISTORY OF ‘STREET LEVEL’ PINBALLSNov 16, 2017
  • Classic pinball machine designed by Mark Ritchie

    Pulp Fiction Pinball Gameplay Guide (Flip N Out Pinball, 2024)Mar 6, 2024
  • Classic Williams pre-DMD solid-state game speculated as potential candidate for future 2.0 remake

    Pedretti to Launch Secret FunHouse 2.0 Topper and MoreMar 12, 2022
  • Pinball Arcade table, sequel to Taxi, featured as Table of the Week with praised tuning

    Pitch SlappedJun 16, 2015
  • Pinball machine with flashing/locking coil issue caused by bad socket on 748 blanking circuit chip; customer repair story demonstrating isolation testing.

    Tips and Tricks with Frank LindenmuthFeb 7, 2025
  • Pinball machine with exploitable tournament strategy (letting time out repeatedly to build safe 500k point sequences); discussed as boring but interesting edge case.

    Episode 231 – Slap SinglesJul 2, 2024
  • Williams game that Pepe desires to acquire; Rochester Pinball Collective has custom playfield version available for sale

    Episode 246 – Get The TablesMar 4, 2025
  • System 11 game referenced in comparisons; reviewers claim superior sound design to Bad Cats

    Episode 19 - Die on this Hill: Bad CatsFeb 26, 2024