Yes, there is an Ellen behind all this. Once upon a time, Ellen Sturm was a Miss Subways. That was back in 1959 when, as Ellen Hart, her picture adorned every subway car in New York City for two months. She hasn’t forgotten her underground roots, though, and among the programs she features in the eatery is a Miss Subways reunion.
Miss Subways was a New York institution—millions of riders every day saw her picture in the subway cars. The idea was that she was the so-called Girl Next Door. She often was a teen-ager. She was also a secretary, a Broadway hopeful, a college student. For old-time’s sake—as well as for the younger generations that come into the Stardust Diner—Ellen Sturm brings back these ladies.