Collier Eat’n Park reopens in a larger space

Bill Mitchell recalled his aunt and uncle writing down when the Eat’n Park across the street from their home in Collier was scheduled to open.

The date was June 21, 1956, a Thursday.

“Saturday of that week they took me to eat there,” said Mitchell, as he sat in the restaurant Oct. 29, the morning of its reopening date, with his wife, Mary.

“I was 9 years old. I loved it then, and I love it now.”

The Mitchells, of South Fayette, dine there quite often. They were there the day before the restaurant, at 1197 Washington Pike in Collier, temporarily closed in April. It was demolished and rebuilt.

Eat’n Park is in the process of updating all of its restaurants. Some are total remodels, like this one, while others are being remodeled in their original footprint.

The Mitchells were also two of first customers the day the restaurant reopened. Mary had the classic Breakfast Smile, while Bill opted for the country-fried steak and eggs.

Bill Mitchell brings his special-needs son, Billy, to the restaurant weekly. When father and son talk on the phone, Billy asks if they are going to Eat’n Park, Bill Mitchell said.

“There are so many memories here,” Bill Mitchell said. “Eat’n Park is about tradition.”

“It looks great in here,” Mary Mitchell said.

The couple sat in one of the booths in the front. The store is roomier with 2,000 additional square feet of space and nearly 100 additional seats.

There is plenty of natural light and dividers are set between sets of booths. The parking lot is spacious, and there is a pick up window for those in a hurry. Pickup window customers need to call ahead or order online.

An image of a 1956 advertisement for the restaurant hangs on the wall. Other décor showcases historical images from several decades of the company, which is celebrating 75 years in 2024.

There is a salad bar with access on either side.

Bill and Mary Mitchell know most of the staff by name. Nearly two dozen team members returned for the reopening. Eat’n Park couldn’t confirm how many employees worked there prior to the closure, but the restaurant has hired an additional 100 employees.

“We are thrilled to see so many new and familiar faces in our dining room once again, smiling and creating memories in this beautiful new space,” Mercy Senchur, president and chief operating officer of the restaurant division of Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, said in an email. “Since its grand opening, our Collier Township Eat’n Park has been among the busiest restaurants across our footprint.”

Eat’n Park is for everyone, said Nancy Stoker, who was with Sean Cringle and their grandchildren Remi, 4, and Wren, 3. The youngsters ate Smiley face waffles.

Everyone loves Eat’n Park, Cringle said.

“You feel comfortable when you come to Eat’n Park,” said Stoker, of Westwood. “It’s a treat for the kids and for us, too.”