I've been on a big L.A. Noire kick lately, and I wanted to build something that captured the feel of the 1940s. I also thought it would be neat to do something a little bit different from the 1950s chrome and linoleum diners that everyone's used to seeing.

This kind of a diner is called a drive-in diner, and the idea is that you can sit in your car and have someone bring the food out to you. These diners are all over L.A. Noire, and you can see some pictures of the real-life Simon's Sandwiches restaurant that inspired me here and here.

Anyway, here are some pictures:

Exterior:






Do you like the diner better with or without the neon signs in the windows?



Interior:




Nighttime shots:




Floor plan:


What do you guys think? Does anyone have any suggestions for additional functionality I could add to this lot? It currently has a food register, an espresso maker, a small arcade area, and a snow cone machine. And a bathroom, of course. Is there anything else I could add? I'd love to throw in a jukebox if anyone could point me in the direction of one that doesn't require Showtime. I could add a horseshoe pit by the dumpsters, maybe, or some chess tables behind the diner where those benches currently are.

What do you guys think about the neon lights/colors/patterns/etc.? What about the layout? I've done some play testing, and things seem to be more or less fine as long as no one tries to set up a keyboard inside. Are the window signs too much?

I'm not at all happy with the chairs inside, so any help on that would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to limit the amount of custom content I use, but if anyone has any suggestions for a good chair (or chair and table combo) somewhere I'm totally open to that. Also, I know that a diner isn't complete without ketchup bottles, napkin holders, and a glass cake display next to the cash register, so I'm not opposed to getting those from the Sims 3 store and adding them as optional deco.

Thanks for your feedback!

Oh, I LOVE this - I love old LA, especially 1940s and 1950s, and would download this in a heartbeat!

I think the chairs inside look fine. Regarding whether to have the neon signs in the windows or not, I'd say just have one window sign, on one side, which looks more in keeping with the pic of the original Simon's you posted, where it has one neon sign off to the side.

I know you want to limit the amount of cc, but regarding a jukebox, you are very welcome to use my conversion of the Sims 2 jukebox if you want - it only requires base game.

(If you love LA Noire type stuff, I think you'd enjoy this thread: Noirish Los Angeles, which is a treasure trove of 625 pages, and still going strong, of old LA photos plus many 'Noir'-ish stories and news items. It's pretty much my home away from home!)

Looking forward to this being downloadable!

Oh my goodness, did you make that roof sign yourself? It's absolutely perfect!

That is really good! I like it and would download it right now as-is. I like that your venue isn't a rabbit hole. People can download cool retro tables and chairs from here or use what you've provided.

p.s. I WANT those cars!

It looks great! Personally I'd go with the neon signs rather than without.

Great work! I, personally, prefer no neon sign on top and one neon sign in the windows. You have one unused corner at the top left of the overhead picture. I'm not sure how big it is, but that would be a good place for a horseshoe pit if it will fit there.

Looks great :D

One thing I would change though- the wavy lights on the parapet to one of the straight tube lights. I would also suggest a simpler color scheme, maybe just turquoise and yellow or white and yellow. Something in Vitrolite tones!



I would also see if the counter area could be a bit larger, with some more clutter round the counters.

How lucky of me to stumble upon this gorgeous creation while googling "Sims 3 Diners." I've never seen this type of diner before; should have payed more attention to the scenery when playing L.A. Noire. I think it looks perfect with the neon signs in the windows.

Might it be finished and available for download in the future?

This is brilliant! You did a great job and I would love to download this for my game.

People please - read the dates, before you reply to old threads like that.....