It's no secret that Gilmore Girls has amassed a cult following through the years. Die-hard fans have its famous lines memorized and even host an annual festival in Kent, CT, purportedly the inspiration behind the charming and quirky town of Stars Hollow.
The characters and locations are beloved; chief among them is Luke's Diner. Fans even lined up outside "real" locations as part of the promotion for its Netflix revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Still, there may be a few things even the most eagle-eyed viewers missed. Here are 10 hidden details you never noticed in Luke's Diner.
It's a Hardware Store
While not apparent in every shot of the facade, Luke's Diner is located inside a storefront called "Williams Hardware." When the series was picked up, they filmed the shots of Stars Hollow in Unionville, Ontario. Willams Hardware is actually a real store there (or, it was at the time of filming the pilot), so they decided to turn it into Luke's Diner for the episode.
While they eventually moved to a different set on the WB lot once the series was picked up full-time, Williams Hardware remained the location of Luke's Diner. Thus, the story of Luke's father purchasing the land for a hardware store was born. The remnants of this location remained in the diner, including a recreation of the hardware sign and the "Williams Hardware/Office/Private" decal on Luke's bedroom door above the diner.
A Different Diner in the Pilot
While the diner remains inside Williams Hardware, did you notice the difference in location between episodes one and two? In the first episode, Luke's Diner is not a corner storefront. It also seems to be a lot smaller than the set that's used from the second episode on.
If you didn't notice, some of the iconic Luke's details did still make an appearance. The "Luke's" logo—a yellow mug-shaped sign hanging outside the front door—is there. However, there are two of them located on either side of the door. Through the rest of the series, it hangs from a window to the right of the entrance.
It Used to Be More Colorful
Clearly, a lot changed between the first and second episodes, including the decor. While Luke's masculine aesthetic is conveyed throughout the diner, the first time we see it, there are pops of color on multiple walls in the form of rattan mats. Fans probably didn't notice this, and if they did, it would catch anyone by surprise given Luke's personality!
The round placemats are painted blue, green, orange, yellow and purple. By the second episode, these get replaced by storage units filled with supplies and mugs. Adding to the colorful atmosphere, a red table can even be spotted outside the entrance. At Lorelai and Rory's table, there's a pink ceramic creamer set and even a gumball machine in the background.
Mismatching Tables and Chairs
None of the chairs and seats match at Luke's Diner. Perhaps this is because he wanted a vintage look or maybe it's that Luke-may-care attitude. What truly ties them together is that old-fashioned diner vibe. They're different sizes, shapes, and color schemes.
In the revival, Luke introduces even more mismatching pieces to the diner, such as a studded, red leather seat and red-trimmed white table. Whether that's because the old wore out, Luke needed some variety, or the set designers couldn't recreate the diner exactly, we may never know.
Vintage Tools as Decor
Have you spotted the antique items around Luke's Diner mixed in with the Corningware boxes and extra drinking glasses? He keeps old paint cans on the shelves, vintage tools on the walls and so much more. We can assume this plays into the story of the hardware store atmosphere.
It's fun to imagine that these belonged to Luke's dad or that they were also used when it was his dad's store. Next time you binge the show, keep an eye out to see how many vintage tools you can spot around the diner.
All the Mugs
It's a diner, so we shouldn't be surprised he has mugs to use but did you ever notice just how many there are? He has multiple shelves full of mugs, but they are seemingly only for display. Rarely do these mugs—an eclectic mix of patterned, solid and some that look like souvenirs—appear on customers' tables.
We also never see Luke grab a fresh mug from these shelves. Instead, visitors like Lorelai and Rory use bowl-sized mugs to get their fill of the best coffee in Stars Hollow. Perhaps Luke could have curbed Lorelai's addition if he'd grabbed one of those mugs from a cubby instead of one that could easily be used for soup.
New Updates in the Revival
While the set design team did a diligent job recreating Luke's Diner almost a decade later for the revival, there were bound to be some changes. Scott Patterson, who plays Luke, even remarked that the floors were more padded and the diner looked more colorful. We do still see those trademark mugs, vintage tools, and mismatched table sets, but there have been some modern updates.
Perhaps you didn't notice, but his famous "No Cell Phones" sign got a neighbor behind the counter. The new PSA lists, "NO: Texting while ordering/MAN BUNS !/Taking Pictures of Food/Headphones/If I can hear your music through your headphones, WHY ARE YOU WEARING HEADPHONES?"
It's All the Same Set
Often, viewers don't know when shows use multiple sets to film certain locations. There are little tricks to notice this, such as when exterior windows don't match the ones on the inside or when the front door is completely different. This isn't the case with Luke's Diner.
The exterior and interior are the exact same piece on the WB lot. When characters walk into the diner, they're stepping onto the same set. However, you may never have noticed because this isn't true for all of Stars Hollow. Lorelai and Rory's beautiful blue house is only an exterior piece; the interior is a completely different set.
"Good Food" Facade
Did you notice that the bold yellow cursive decals on the outside of Luke's Diner spell out a phrase? They say, "Good Food," referencing the delicious menu awaiting customers once they take a seat. Many of the details (such as the Williams Hardware sign) stem from the pilot's shooting location, and this is one of them. It was a detail they carried over to the WB lot.
It can be hard to spot. Once the series moved to the WB set, Luke's Diner became a corner building. Because of this, the two words rarely appear in one shot, whether on the inside looking out or vice versa. However, in the pilot episode, "Good Food" reads very clearly on either side of the door.
It Popped Up on Another Show
Luke's Diner actually makes an appearance on Pretty Little Liars, but you probably never noticed. Stars Hollow shares a WB set with Pretty Little Liars' Rosewood, so naturally those iconic Gilmore Girls locations got a second life. Most unrecognizably, Luke's Diner was transformed into the Apple Rose Grille.
The hang-out spot was a favorite of the Liars, particularly in the early seasons of the guilty pleasure series. The bar and restaurant gave Luke's Diner a huge makeover in the transformation with its chic chrome seating, white brick walls, and wood paneling. This is one more secret the Liars were very good at keeping.