LORI'S DINER


Location: 500 Sutter Street. San Francisco, CA 94102, USA

Our roving reporter John continues his trawl of San Francisco's pinball haunts, but not before he takes to the water and ends up in prison.

In September 2012, we visited the San Francisco as my first stop of our trip to USA.

After visiting the Alcatraz Island on the morning of my third day in the city, we had lunch at the Fisherman Wharf.

Alcatraz Island, home of...
Alcatraz Island, home of...

...Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
...Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary

Inside Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Inside Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary

Around 4pm we started my journey to the Lori's Diner restaurant on Sutter Street in the heart of the city.

Lori's Diner
Lori's Diner

Loris Diners is a chain of American '50s-style restaurants with six locations in the city.

The front window of Lori's Diner on Sutter Street
The front window of Lori's Diner on Sutter Street

The one at the Sutter Street was quite spacious and with special decorations. We were not hungry, so we just ordered some drinks.

Inside Lori's Diner
Inside Lori's Diner

Some of the memorabilia inside
Some of the memorabilia inside

There were 2 pinballs - Whirlwind and Medieval Madness - in a hidden cave inside the restaurant.

The diner's pinballs
The diner's pinballs

Initially, I was excited since I had never played the Whirlwind before. However, I was disappointed when I started playing.

Whirlwind in Lori's Diner with extra balls instead of replays
Whirlwind in Lori's Diner with extra balls instead of replays

Why? Since both of the pinballs tilted severely to the left, the ball always tended running to the left outlane.

Medieval Madness and Whirlwind
Medieval Madness and Whirlwind

After an in-depth inspection, I found that the two machines were placed on a wooden raised floor, but the floor could not sustain their weight. Obviously, this had been happening for a long time, but nobody fixed it.

It may be because the two machines were for display only, and nobody cared if they were properly installed. As a pinball lover though, I was very upset.

The Jukebox was out of action
The Jukebox was out of action

I only played the two pinballs for 30 minutes before leaving the restaurant.

General information about Loris Diner (Sutter St) is as follows:

  • Website: www.lorisdiner.com
  • Transportation: 5-10 minutes by cable car from either the Fisherman Wharf terminal or the Manson St terminal.

 

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