American Diner
Director/Dp
Ian Moubayed
Producer/Eps
Helen Cho
Karim Amer
Project Type
Documentary Feature Film
Project Status
Post-Production
"American Diner" is a documentary series that follows the transformation of Kellogg’s Diner, NYC’s oldest 24/7 diner and, of recent years, perhaps one of the city’s worst. Since opening in 1928, the greasy spoon in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has passed through the hands of a Russian Jewish immigrant and generations of Greek families, serving as a neighborhood hangout for working-class locals, cops, wise guys, street gangs, club kids, drag queens, and eventually hipsters.
Over the past decade, as real estate prices and rents have skyrocketed, Williamsburg has reached “peak gentrification,” welcoming luxury brands, boutique hotels, and a wealthier class of residents. After a 95-year run, the landmark diner collapsed during the pandemic and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Before Shake Shack narrowly acquired the steel clunker, a mysterious Bolivian restaurateur closed a deal and his team entered the picture, embarking on a historic transformation, renovating the space, reimagining the classic menu, and training old and new staff under an upscale approach to service.
The story unfolds through the playful interviewing of perspectives of our characters. A brazen Texan head chef fights to win over an opinionated city with her bold Tex-Mex vision while balancing being a single mother. The spirited nephew of the former Greek owner returns to the diner as late-night manager after 30 years, comically adapting to the demands of a corporate restaurant group while fighting to preserve the values of the old family business. A Chilean cowboy contractor races to complete a historic renovation of the landmark diner that honors the past yet draws the upscale clientele of the new neighborhood. A 21-year-old Ecuadorian woman hustles her way up the restaurant ladder while learning a new language and culture. And a cast of outspoken New York regulars clinging to the past, a zealous food critic, and an emerging food influencer all take their first bites of the new diner upon its grand reopening.
From back-of-house tensions, front-of-house theatrics, to the rapidly changing world outside the walls of Kellogg’s, "American Diner" captures a living microcosm of New York City. No matter what side of the counter you’re on, everyone wants a seat at the table.
Ian Moubayed is a New York-based filmmaker. Moubayed started his career as a cinematographer, collaborating with Emmy, Peabody, and Oscar-winning filmmakers to create engaging and impactful work. In 2019 he was credited as the Director of Photography on Netflix’s THE GREAT HACK (2019 Oscar shortlist, BAFTA nominated). He served as Director of Photography on NBC Peacock’s THE SIT IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW (2021 Emmy Nominated) and was personally nominated for a 2021 Cinema Eye Award for his work as a series cinematographer for HBO’s THE VOW. Over the last five years, Moubayed has transitioned to directing more short-form films for companies, brands, and foundations. His acclaimed short film KEYS TO THE CITY was featured in The New Yorker and was nominated for Best Short Documentary by the Critics Choice Awards, and most recently his cinematography for the documentary short I AM READY, WARDEN was nominated for an Academy Award.
Helen M. Cho is a Korean American two-time Emmy Award-nominated director, producer, and showrunner from New York City. She is best known for her work on critically acclaimed series "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown", "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman", and "United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell". Helen served as Executive Producer and Showrunner of "Take Out with Lisa Ling", now streaming on HBO Max. IndieWire named Take Out one of ‘The Best Documentaries and Docuseries of 2022’. Previous to her work in television, Helen was a digital consultant for Anthony Bourdain, Ecco Press, and Steven Rinella. She holds a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is a member of the Director’s Guild of America, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, and DCTV’s Alumni Creative Council. More importantly, she is the proud daughter of a nail salon worker and USPS letter carrier.
Karim Amer is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-winning, and BAFTA-nominated filmmaker and showrunner whose work probes power, technology, and the systems that shape modern life. He produced The Square (2013), the first Egyptian film to earn an Academy Award nomination, which went on to win three Primetime Emmy Awards and Audience Awards at Sundance and Toronto. He directed and produced The Great Hack (2019, Netflix) on the Cambridge Analytica scandal — Oscar-shortlisted, BAFTA- and Emmy-nominated, and a Cinema Eye Award winner — and went on to direct and showrun HBO's The Vow on NXIVM, Showtime's The Lincoln Project, and Amazon's Flight/Risk, which earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Investigative Documentary. Beyond documentary, Amer produced the Academy Award-nominated animated feature The Breadwinner with Angelina Jolie, and served as a producer on Hulu's Golden Globe-winning series Ramy, Venice-premiered You Resemble Me, and Oscar-shortlisted All That’s Left of You. He’s a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.