My definition of diner is exactly that (I forgot about meat loaf!), except around here they do open and close and some don't serve breakfast all day. I don't know if you have Denny's there, but to me that's just like a diner, except that diners aren't typically chains. Oh OK, I did a quick check and apparently there are 8 Denny's in NJ.
I personally wouldn't call McDonald's a "fast food restaurant," but I believe technically they are called that (I'd just say "fast food place"). But otherwise I think I'd use "restaurant" for just about anything above that.
I suppose next you're going to tell me you don't call carbonated soft drinks "pop"!
Yes, we have the Denny's chain here in NJ, and I've been to it a few times. It's ok, but I usually don't go there.
I agree with you and Brian, that McDonald's is not a restaurant. I will usually just say 'fast food', or (like you) 'fast food place'. The same term will be applied to Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy's, KFC, and places like that.
As for your "pop" expression, I have a story about that. A group of friends and I went on a road trip to Myrtle Beach, which is down South from NJ. We stopped at a diner to eat, and I had the following conversation with the waitress. The first sentence is mine.
"I'll have a soda"
"A what?"
"A soda."
"What's that?"
"You know, a Coke."
"Oh, you mean pop."
"No, I mean soda."
"No, you mean pop."
"I'll bet you $5.00 it's called 'soda'."
"Ok, I'll bet you $5.00 it's called 'pop'."
The waitress then goes into the kitchen and comes out holding a bottle of Coke, laughing out loud. On the bottom of the label, were the words "Soda Pop".