Ben Stiller Explains Why This Hudson Valley Diner is Worth the Trip

Ben Stiller took his entire production crew hours out of the way to return to a small, Hudson Valley diner. He says the trip was "totally worth it".

Don't feel bad if you haven't been to Ben Stiller's favorite Hudson Valley diner. If you're not a local, it's likely you haven't even heard about it, let alone driven into the middle of nowhere to eat there.

Ben Stiller, who produces the smash-hit Apple TV+ series Severance, credits his location manager, Ryan Smith, with finding the "perfect" diner.

When deciding where to film scenes for any television show, there are important factors to take into consideration. Besides architecture, aesthetics and the location's availability, cost and travel distance are key factors in choosing the right place to bring your entire production crew and cast to make television magic.

As soon as Ben Stiller saw the Phonecia Diner he threw most of those practical considerations out of the window and decided he just had to film there.

Hudson Valley Diner Becomes Important Location for Apple Television Series

The diner first appeared in season one of Severance as the fictional Pip's Bar & Grille. In season two, the show returns to the Phonecia diner for another pivotal scene at Pip's involving Adam Scott and Jen Tillock who play lead character Mark Scout and his sister, Devon.

On the official Severance podcast, Stiller and Scott discussed why the Phonecia Diner is such an important location for the show. While recapping the diner scene from episode two of season two, Stiller joked that every time the crew has to pack up all of their gear and drive hours upstate there's always a discussion that begins with "you know, there are other diners that are a lot closer to New York".

But the director and executive producer of the series says the Phonecia Diner is "totally worth it". Stiller and Scott agreed that there's "something about that diner" that makes it perfect for the series.

When creating the fictional community of Kier, the Severance crew wanted to avoid a diner that was in the middle of a town. This may explain why Beacon's Yankee Clipper was passed over, even though many of the show's other scenes were filmed up and down Main Street. Stiller says that the Phonecial Diner's setting, located in a quiet, wooded area "felt right".

So, in March of 2021, the crew transformed the small diner into Pip's Bar & Grille, repainting the window and dressing the interior. A large Pip's sign was added to the restaurant's roof in post-production.

There are several other Hudson Valley landmarks that can be spotted in the series including the Rondout Creek bridge, Eng's restaurant in Kingston and the Beacon dummy light. Filming for the show took place for both seasons one and two in New Paltz, Beacon, Kingston, Lake Minnewaska and, of course, at the Phonecia diner.