The Acropolis Diner has been pushed by local competition to accommodate the changing needs and lifestyles of its customers. The small changes that the diner has made reflect much larger urban trends that influence its customers, including globalization and modernization. The Acrop struggles to maintain two different themes: the classic "All-American" diner and a modern mainstream restaurant. Despite modern amenities and a menu that set the Acrop apart from more traditional diners, the restaurant still has a social and cultural function as a community landmark. Neighbors can expect to get consistent food and service in a familiar atmosphere. The diner theme is part of a trend that reflects a growing consumer obsession with the nitty-gritty, vintage clothes, and old warehouse lofts that is clearly visible in today's cities. True diner enthusiasts have access to tremendous historical resources including books, websites, and museums, and can even observe a typical diner experience via a website that offers live coverage of a New Jersey Diner 24 hours a day. For those who are not quite as edgy or venturous enough to head to an old, greasy diner for a hamburger at 1:30 in the morning, the Acrop's modern features spruce up its traditional atmosphere. Because of its location in a mainstream restaurant district, the Acrop must follow certain trends in order to compete with other restaurants like Pizzeria UNO and Woodstock Chicken. This is apparent in the contrast between the lottery tickets and juke boxes at every booth in the diner. The Acrop would not be a popular spot for a classic diner fanatic.

The Acrop's attempts towards modernization are not only evident in the restaurant's amenities, but in the menu as well (see photo). Nick Stratis, the diner's owner, says that the Acropolis has broadened its menu from the average diner milkshake and fries to include a salad bar as well as various international dishes because "People don't just want a hamburger anymore." (Stratis: 11/22/2000) A large sign near the counter advertises cappuccino and espresso, bringing the diner into competition with specialty coffee shops and cafés -- increasingly trendy hangouts for college students and young professionals. The menu also accommodates a variety of today's popular diets. Health-conscious customers have numerous choices in the salad bar or the menu section titled "Diet Delights," and vegetarian options include Garden Burgers and vegetarian omelettes. The rapidly growing global economy and influx of immigrant-owned restaurants in the United States has exposed our palates to strange foods that have become staples in the American diet. This phenomenon is reflected by the variety of restaurants that line Main Street in Poughkeepsie (according to Stratis there are 50 within a two-mile stretch) as well as in the Acropolis Diner menu, which includes everything from a variety of international cuisine from Linguini with Clam Sauce to Canadian Bison Burgers. By offering a large selection Italian specialties and seafood entrées, the Acrop is able to compete with Cappolla's Italian Cuisine next door and several seafood restaurants on the Hudson riverfront.

As a stable business that acts as a community space, the Acropolis Diner serves as a symbol of security for the Poughkeepsie community. Although the small restaurant does not bring significant revenue into Poughkeepsie, it provides stable jobs for its employees &endash; most of whom are life-long Poughkeepsie residents &endash; and serves as a gathering place for "regulars." Customers can expect that the Acrop will for the most part provide a typical diner experience: a comfortable place where servers develop personal relationships with their customers. (Jackson: 1986) The most important role of the Acropolis Diner is as a community landmark. A stable business like the Acrop contributes to Poughkeepsie's security by giving neighbors a familiar place to meet each other as well as a round-the-clock neighborhood watch system, which in turn create a safer community. Waiters and waitresses become prominent community figures that have a vested interest in and look out for their customers. Individual interactions at this small local diner eventually impact on the well being of the entire community. Although the Acropolis Diner does not fit into most peoples' general idea of a classic diner, it does fulfill a function that most diners do not. This diner is a developing community space that has turned into a symbol of what modern culture in the United States really represents: a mixture of the new and the old, local and global, greasy and fresh. The Acropolis diner is the entrepreneur of a new, modern commercial space: the cutting edge, all-American diner.

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