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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Caring for Kids Results….Drum roll, please!

We just wrapped up our 31st Annual Caring for Kids Campaign benefitting local children’s hospitals, and the numbers are in!
We're proud to announce our grand total: $334,122!
This number exceeds last year’s grand total by more than $11,000, and it’s the third highest total in our campaign’s 31 year history. Because of the hard work and generosity of our team members and guests, 14 local children’s hospitals will receive donations:
  • Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation
  • West Virginia University Children’s Hospital
  • St. Vincent Health System
  • Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley
  • Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children’s Hospital
  • Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital
  • Indiana Regional Medical Center
  • DuBois Regional Medical Center
  • Columbus Children’s Hospital Foundation
  • Kennedy Krieger Children’s Hospital
  • St. Christopher’s Hospital
  • Children’s Medical Center of Akron
  • Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
  • Children’s Hospital Foundation of Philadelphia
Many thanks to our longtime partner, the Pittsburgh Lincoln Mercury Dealers Association. Their generous donation of a 2010 Mercury Milan raised over $87,000 from raffle ticket sales! The lucky recipient of this beautiful new vehicle is Mike Gudalis of Sykesville, PA. He purchased his winning ticket at our DuBois restaurant.

We’d also like to extend a special thanks to our other partners who helped us reach our goal, including: Sheetz, Vitality Food Service, Geyer Printing, KDKA TV, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and NewsRadio 1020 KDKA. Our first-ever Black Friday change drive, “Make a Change with Your Change” in partnership with KDKA, raised almost $10,000!

Most of all, we want to offer our heartfelt appreciation to all of you for supporting us. Our Caring for Kids Campaign wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of our amazing guests! We truly appreciate your efforts in making our campaign a success. THANK YOU!!! Share

Friday, December 11, 2009

Bring in your Smiley Travel Mug for $1.00 refills!

If you’re already enjoying your morning brew in one of our Smiley Travel Mugs, we’ve got great news: Now you can fill ‘er up at Eat’n Park for only $1.00, then be on your way! This new refill program not only gives you your daily taste of our delicious coffee at a great value, but it also decreases waste by reducing the number of takeout cups we use.

Just bring your Smiley travel mug in to any Eat’n Park location at any time of day to get your $1.00 refill on regular or decaf coffee to-go (Lattes and espresso drinks are not included in this offer). If you don’t already have a Smiley travel mug, you can pick one up at any location, in a variety of designs.

Not a coffee drinker yourself? This would make a great gift for the java addict in your life! And, if you don’t live close enough to an Eat’n Park to pick one up for a gift, the mugs are available in our online store. You can ship them directly to your recipient.

So, start your day with a smile! Share

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

This week's Caring for Kids activities (week of 12-7-09)

As our Caring for Kids campaign wraps up this week, the following Eat’n Park locations will be holding Tips for Tots events to raise money for the cause. Servers will be donating all tips collected during the event to local children’s hospitals, so stop by and help make an impact on the lives of kids in your area.

Wednesday, 12/9New Stanton (4:00-9:00 PM)
Monroeville (4:00-7:00 PM)
Hampton Twp. (4:00-7:00 PM)
Hermitage (4:00-8:00 PM)
North Versailles (5:00-8:00 PM)
Elyria (11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, 5:00-8:00 PM)
Wheeling (4:00 – 8:00 PM)

Thursday, 12/10
Robinson Twp. (4:00-8:00 PM)

Saturday, 12/12McKnight Road – Southbound (4:00-8:00 PM)
Dubois (11:00 AM – 8:00 PM) Share

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Send a smile to our troops!

For those who have grown up enjoying Smiley Cookies at Eat’n Park but no longer live in the area, these treats are an especially welcome holiday gift that brings back fond memories. That’s one reason we began offering our Smiley Cookies for sale online, where they can be shipped anywhere in the U.S.

Well, this year, we’re excited to announce that we can now ship our famous cookies OUTSIDE the U.S., to APO/FPO military addresses around the world!

Your loved ones can now enjoy some home-baked Smiley goodness, no matter where they’re stationed. This is a feature that our customers have been asking about for quite some time, and we’re so happy that we’re now able to provide it.

APO/FPO orders are routed through the United States Postal Service, and generally take between 7-10 days to arrive. For that reason, we recommend placing APO orders by Thursday, December 10 for delivery in time for Christmas. Click here to place your order today!

If you have any questions about placing an APO order, check out our Frequently Asked Questions, email us at responses@eatnpark.com, or give us a call at 1-800-947-4033 x4.

Happy Holidays! Share

Monday, December 7, 2009

First new Smiley Cookie flavor in 20+ years: Gingerbread!

What could be better for the holidays than the warm familiar aromas of fresh baked goods? And what could be better than a freshly baked Smiley cookie? Well…..

Our Smiley Cookie has taken many shapes since we introduced it in 1986. Trees, bunnies, stars, dinosaurs, flowers, hearts and fish are all fun, but I was really in the mood for something different. Something with more flavor. Something that really said wintertime and holidays.

During a meeting with our menu development team, we discussed popular holiday cookie recipes both from retail and our childhoods. As a child, I remembered my grandma making wonderful pumpkin pies and lots of great cookies, but nothing filled the house quite like the smell of her gingerbread cake (topped with cool whip) and gingerbread cookies! She would cut them in a variety of shapes and let us decorate them with icing and candies, but my favorite was fresh from the oven, still a little warm and soft....mmmmmm! That’s when we had it…Gingerbread! Those were the inspiration for our newest cookie, Gingerbread Smiley.

We spent some time working on the recipe to get just the right balance of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and molasses. Flavorful, but not too much “burn your tongue” ginger. After landing on the perfect recipe, we added our own special Eat’n Park touch….A smile, piped onto each cookie by hand.

Obviously, I’m pretty excited about the addition of our Gingerbread Smileys. Now that they are baking fresh in our restaurants, that smell reminds me of Christmas at grandma’s every day!

If you’ve had a chance to give them a try already, leave a comment here and let me know what you thought.

Happy Holidays!

John Frick
Executive Chef, Menu Development
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Monday, November 30, 2009

This week's Caring for Kids activities (week of 11-30-09)

This week, the following Eat’n Park locations will be holding Tips for Tots events to benefit our Caring for Kids campaign. Servers will be donating all tips collected during the event to local children’s hospitals, so stop by and help make an impact on the lives of kids in your area.

Please call ahead to ensure that events have not been rescheduled.

Monday, 11/30
Canonsburg/Peters Twp. (4:00-8:00 PM)

Wednesday, 12/2Waterfront/Homestead (5:00-8:00 PM)
Monongahela (4:00-9:00 PM)
Butler – New Castle Rd. (4:00-9:00 PM)
New Kensington (4:00-7:00 PM)
Latrobe (4:00-8:00 PM)
Weirton, WV (11:00 AM – 9:00 PM)
Warren, OH (4:00-8:00 PM)
Mentor, OH (5:00-8:00 PM)

Thursday, 12/3
Boardman, OH (4:00-8:00 PM)
Whitehall (4:00-8:00 PM)
Steubenville, OH (11:00 AM – 7:00 PM)
Uniontown (5:00-8:00 PM)
Streetsboro, OH (5:00-8:00 PM)
South Hills Village (4:00-8:00 PM)
Clarksburg, WV (5:00-8:00 PM)
Clarion (All day)
St. Clairsville, OH (11:00 AM – 8:00 PM)
Fairview/New Cumberland (5:00-8:00 PM)

Friday, 12/4
State College (5:00-8:00 PM)

Saturday, 12/5
Dubois (11:00 AM – 8:00 PM)

Sunday, 12/6
Wheeling, WV (4:00-8:00 PM)

Monday, 12/7
McKeesport (4:00-7:00 PM)
Sewickley (Nonn-8:00 PM) Share

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Guests Love New Look at Sewickley Eat’n Park

We are thrilled to hear that our guests love our new look at the Sewickley Eat’n Park as much as we do. Many guests have taken the time to let us know how much they are enjoying the new décor and improved atmosphere. We have completely overhauled the lobby, counter, and bakery areas and made enhancements throughout the dining room. One of the best features is our new Smiley Stuff store. Now guests can easily find their favorite Smiley merchandise – check it out:


Here are some other photos for you to preview our new look, but you really need to see it for yourself. We hope to see you soon!





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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Make a Change with Your Change on Black Friday

Every Black Friday, we welcome all you hungry shoppers into our restaurants for a quick, delicious breakfast (just click here to see which locations are offering our Shoppers’ Buffet). After all, you need a little fuel to seek out those great sales!


This year, we’re inviting you to get into the true spirit of the season on Black Friday by “making a change with your change” at Eat’n Park. We’re placing water jugs in the lobbies of each and every Eat’n Park location and asking our guests to donate their spare change on Black Friday. We hope that you’ll stop by while you’re out shopping to give a gift to the kids at children’s hospitals in our communities. Individually, it’s a small donation, maybe even just a few coins rattling in your pocket. But together, we’ll make a big difference in the life of a child this holiday season.


For more information on our Caring for Kids Campaign, just click here. Share

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Black Friday Shoppers' Buffet

Get in, get out, and get shopping! Fuel up with a delicious breakfast before (or after!) hitting those Black Friday sales. Our Shoppers' Buffet will be available at the locations below on Friday, November 27, for only $6.99. Now that's a deal!

  • Altoona - 5:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Austintown - 6:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Avalon - 7:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Banksville - 7:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Belle Vernon - 5:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Boardman, OH - 7:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Bridgeville - No Shopper's Buffet
  • Butler (Clearview) - 5:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Butler (New Castle Rd.) - 5:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Canonsburg (Peters) - 6:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Center Twp. - 5:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Chapel Hill, OH - 5:00 AM - NOON
  • Chippewa - 5:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Clarion - 6:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Clarksburg, WV - 6:00 AM -11:00 AM
  • Cranberry (Marshall Twp) - 5:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Dormont - No Shopper's Buffet
  • Dubois - 5:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Edgewood - 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Elyria - 5:00 AM - NOON
  • Erie (Peach St.) - 5:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Erie (West 12th St.) - 5:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Etna - 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Fairview - 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Franklin - 5:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Franklin Park - 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Greensburg - 5:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Grove City - MIDNIGHT - 10:30 AM
  • Hampton Twp. - 6:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Hermitage - 5:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Indiana - 5:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Johnstown - 5:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Lancaster - 7:30 AM - 10:45 AM
  • Latrobe - 5:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Library Road - 6:30 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Lindle Road - 5:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • McKees Rocks - No Shopper's Buffet
  • McKeesport - 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
  • McKnight (Northbound) - 5:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • McKnight (Southbound) - 5:30 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Medina, OH - 5:00 AM - NOON
  • Mentor, OH - 6:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Monongahela - 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Monroeville - 5:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Moon Twp. - 6:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Morgantown, WV - 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Murrysville - 7:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • N. Huntingdon - 6:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Natrona Hts. - 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
  • New Castle - 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
  • New Kensington - 7:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • New Stanton - 6:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • North Versailles - 6:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Parma, OH - 6:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Penn Hills - 6:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Pittsburgh Mills - 4:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Robinson - 5:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Sewickley - 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Somerset - 5:00 AM-11:00 AM
  • South Hills - 5:00 AM- 11:30 AM
  • Squirrel Hill -Wednesday Night: Midnight - 4:00 AM (No buffet on Friday)
  • St. Clairsville - 5:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • State College - 6:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Steubenville - 6:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Streetsboro - 6:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Uniontown - 5:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Warren, OH - 6:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Washington (Mall) - 5:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Washington (West Chestnut) - 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Waterfront - 5:00 AM-11:00 AM
  • Weirton, WV - 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM
  • Westmont - 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Wheeling Highlands - 5:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Whitehall - 6:00 AM - 10:30 AM
  • Willoughby, OH - 6:30 AM - 11:00 AM
  • York - 5:00 AM - 11:00 AM
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Monday, November 23, 2009

Eat'n Park Christmas Star Commercial

Our Christmas Star commercial is a beloved favorite for young and old. Its simple, timeless message has resonated with viewers for more than 25 years. If you’re wondering how this classic came to be, click here to read the story and the many wonderful comments left by our guests.

For us at Eat’n Park, the holiday season just wouldn’t be the same without the commercial. And we know that many of you feel the same, regardless of whether you still call Pittsburgh home or if you’ve moved halfway around the world.

For that reason, we’re happy to post the commercial here! Just click below to view it. And for those of you who live in the PA/OH/WV area, you can catch it live on TV during the shows listed below. Check your local listings for times.



From everyone here at Eat’n Park, here’s hoping that the special lift you get this season lasts all year long. Happy Holidays!

Eat'n Park Christmas Star Commercial Air Dates:

Clarksburg

  • WBOY (NBC) – Macy’s Day Parade (11/26), Muppets (12/11 & 12/18), It’s a Wonderful Life (12/12), Saturday Night Live (12/26), Charlie Brown (11/23 & 12/1)
  • WDTV (CBS) – Thanksgiving Day Parade (11/26), A Dog Named Christmas (11/29), Rudolph (12/12), Flight Before Christmas (12/12), Elf (12/19)
Cleveland
  • WEWS (ABC) – Polar Express (11/28), Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (12/21), Thanksgiving Day Parade (11/29), Charlie Brown (12/15), Disney Christmas Parade (12/25), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (12/22), Nutcracker on Ice (12/13 & 12/25), Christmas Shrine (12/24)
  • WKYC (NBC) – Miracle on 34th Street (11/26), Christmas at Rockefeller Center (12/2), Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (11/26)
  • WOIO (CBS) – Thanksgiving Day Parade (11/26), Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer (12/12), Frosty the Snowman (12/4), Elf (12/20), The Flight Before Christmas (12/12), Hallmark: A Dog Named Christmas (11/29)
  • WUAB (UPN) – 2009 World Music Awards (11/25), Miracle on 34th Street (12/5), Olive the Other Reindeer (12/8), Santa’s Funniest Moments (12/8), Soul of Christmas (12/15), Christmas is Here Again (12/16)
Erie
  • WICU (NBC) – Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (11/26), National Dog Show (11/26), Christmas in Rockefeller Center (12/2)
  • WJET (ABC) – Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (11/26), Charlie Brown Christmas (12/1), Disney Christmas Parade (12/25), Shrek the Halls (11/30), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (11/30)
  • WSEE (CBS) – Rudolph (12/2), Frosty the Snowman (12/11), Frosty Returns (12/11), The Flight Before Christmas (12/11), Home for the Holidays (12/22)
Johnstown
  • WATM (ABC) – Charlie Brown Christmas (12/7), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (11/30), Shrek the Halls (12/21), Santa Claus is Coming to Town (12/1), The Santa Claus 2 (12/14)
  • WJAC (NBC) - Christmas at Rockefeller Center (12/2), Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (11/26), Saturday Night Live Christmas Special (12/17), It’s a Wonderful Life (12/24)
  • WTAJ (CBS) – Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer (12/12), A Dog Named Christmas (11/29), Elf (12/19)
Pittsburgh
  • KDKA (CBS) – Home for the Holidays (12/22), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (12/9), Thanksgiving Parade (11/26), Frosty/Frosty Returns (12/11), Elf (12/19)
  • WPXI (NBC) – Muppets Christmas Letters to Santa (12/11 & 12/19), Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (11/26)
  • WTAE (ABC) – Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (11/24), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (11/30), Shrek the Halls (11/30 & 12/21), Santa Claus is Coming to Town (12/1), Charlie Brown Christmas (12/7), I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (12/14), Disney Christmas Parade (12/24)
Wheeling
  • WTOV (NBC) – A Muppets Christmas: Letter to Santa (12/11 & 12/19), It’s a Wonderful Life (12/12 & 12/24), Saturday Night Live Christmas Special (12/17 & 12/25), Christmas in Rockefeller Center (12/2), Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (11/26), Miracle on 34th Street (11/26), Merry Madagascar (11/28)
  • WTRF (CBS) – Frosty the Snowman (12/11), Frosty Returns (12/11), Hallmark: A Dog Named Christmas (11/29), Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer (12/2), Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (11/26), Grammy Nominations Concert (12/2), Elf (12/19)
Youngstown/Warren
  • WFMJ (NBC) – Christmas in Rockefeller Center (12/2), It’s a Wonderful Life (12/24), Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (11/26)
  • WKBN (CBS) – Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (12/12), Frosty the Snowman (12/18), Elf (12/19)
  • WYTV (ABC) – Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (11/26), Surviving Christmas (11/29), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (11/30), A Charlie Brown Christmas (12/1), Santa Claus is Coming to Town (12/7), Shrek the Halls (12/14), I want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (12/21)
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Eat’n Park Wins 2009 Harvest Award for Sustainability

More good news! Thanks to our sustainability initiatives, Glynwood has honored us with their 2009 Harvest Award for Connecting Communities, Farmers, and Food! Glynwood is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to saving farming in the Northeast and increasing access to locally-produced and sourced foods.

We were chosen for our leadership in eco-responsibility and for our ongoing commitment to offering guests local food through our FarmSource program. Through FarmSource, we currently purchase more than 20 percent of our food locally.

For more about Glynwood, visit their website at http://www.glynwood.org/. And click here to read more about our latest steps toward sustainability. Share

Monday, November 16, 2009

This week's Caring for Kids activities (week of 11-17-09)

Join us this week during one of our Tips for Tots events! Servers will donate all tips collected during the dates/times listed to our Caring for Kids Campaign, which supports local children’s hospitals. We hope to see you there!

Please call ahead to ensure that events have not been rescheduled.

Tuesday, 11/17McKnight Road – Northbound (5:00-8:00 PM)
Johnstown – Scalp Avenue (4:00-7:30 PM)

Wednesday, 11/18
Waterfront/Homestead (5:00-8:00 PM)

Thursday, 11/19Parma, OH (5:00-8:00 PM)
Butler – Clearview (4:00-7:00 PM)
New Castle (4:00-7:00 PM)
Moon Twp./Airport (11:00 AM – 2:00 PM)
Cuyahoga Falls/Chapel Hill, OH (11:00 AM – 8:00 PM)
Medina, OH (4:00-9:00 PM)

Sunday, 11/22
South Park/Library Road (5:00-8:00 PM)

Monday, 11/23
Greensburg (4:00-8:00 PM)
Grove City (11:00 AM – 8:00 PM) Share

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Construction of new LEED-certified Eat’n Park to begin in Fox Chapel

We are excited to introduce Eat’n Park’s latest and biggest step toward being a greener company and supporting sustainability. This month, we’ll be breaking ground on a brand new Eat’n Park in Fox Chapel. What makes it green? This will be the first LEED-built restaurant in the City of Pittsburgh and only the second in Allegheny County.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification means that the restaurant was designed using strategies aimed at improving energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, and other metrics that are critical to efficient use of natural resources in order to minimize the restaurant’s impact on the environment.

Located in the Waterworks development of Fox Chapel, this new restaurant is scheduled to open in May of 2010. In addition to incorporating elements that will enhance our guests’ experiences (such as a drive-up Pickup Window for takeout and outdoor seating), we’re constructing the building from environmentally-friendly materials, and we’re installing Energy Star-rated equipment throughout.

We’ll also be harvesting natural light through the use of skylights and an exposed lobby structure, allowing us to reduce the power used through electric lights whenever it’s bright outside. The restaurant will be equipped with light sensors to automatically dim the electric lights when it’s bright. Additionally, our parking lot will feature reserved spaces for carpooling and low-emissions vehicles.

If you’ve kept up with Jamie Moore’s posts on sustainability, you know that we’ve been taking steps to reduce our environmental impact by using CFL bulbs in all of our restaurants, recycling fryer oil into bio-diesel fuel, removing placemats and paper towels, and sourcing food locally through our FarmSource program. This new restaurant is a huge step, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

As construction progresses, we’ll be posting updates here. In the meantime, feel free to leave us your thoughts.

For more about LEED certification, click here. Share

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

This week’s Caring for Kids Activities (week of 11-10-09)

After kicking off with our Free Smiley Cookie Day last Friday, our 31st annual Caring for Kids Campaign is underway! During this company-wide fundraiser, our guests and team members raise money for local children’s hospitals through merchandise sales and participation in special activities.

Throughout the five-week campaign, we’ll be posting those activities here, so you can see when your local Eat’n Park is doing something special. This week, six Eat’n Park locations are holding “Tips for Tots” events. During Tips for Tots, servers volunteer to donate 100% of their tips for the night to the campaign. Sometimes, you’ll even see local celebrities posing as servers!

Since event dates and times are subject to change, please call ahead to ensure that the event you’re planning to attend is still being held during the date/time listed. Thanks for your help supporting the kids!

Week of November 10, 2009 – Tips for Tots Events:

Tuesday, November 10
Greensburg Eat’n Park (4:00-8:00 PM)
North Huntingdon Eat’n Park (4:00-8:00 PM)

Wednesday, November 11Grove City Eat’n Park (4:00-8:00 PM)

Monday, November 16Dormont Eat’n Park (4:00-7:00 PM)
Westmont Eat’n Park (Noon-7:00 PM)
Murrysville Eat’n Park (4:00-7:00 PM) Share

Monday, November 2, 2009

Caring for Kids - Supporting local children's hospitals for 31 years and counting

There are a lot of things we’re proud of at Eat’n Park. We’re proud to offer you great food at a great price. We’re proud to be a welcoming place for families. But perhaps most of all, we’re proud to be a part of your community. And because of that, we’re committed to giving back to the neighborhoods we call home. One of the ways that we do that is through our annual Caring for Kids Fundraising Campaign. During the campaign, all of our team members unite for 5 weeks with one common goal: to raise money for local children’s hospitals and charities.

Now in its 31st year, our campaign has raised more than $7 million, thanks to the enthusiasm of our team members, loyal guests and great partners like Lincoln Mercury. Every year, local Lincoln Mercury dealers donate a vehicle for us to raffle off to benefit the campaign. This year, it’s a 2010 Mercury Milan.

To celebrate, we’re kicking off the campaign on November 6 with something special: FREE Smiley Cookie Day, courtesy of Lincoln Mercury! Anyone who buys a $2 Mercury Milan raffle ticket between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. will receive a free Smiley Cookie, courtesy of local Lincoln Mercury dealers.

In addition to the raffle, you can purchase limited-edition Smiley Stuff like Smiley Magnets or Christmas Star Flipbooks for just $2. They’re perfect stocking stuffers. The Flipbook depicts our famous animated Christmas Star commercial. As you flip through the book, you’ll see the tree bend over to help the star to the top!

We hope you’ll stop by our restaurants for one of the many fun activities we have planned to support children’s hospitals. We’re so appreciative of the support of our loyal guests throughout the last 30 years and we’re excited for a great 2010 Caring for Kids Campaign!
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Order your holiday pies at Eat'n Park!

At Eat’n Park, we may be best known for our Smiley Cookies, but that’s not all our bakeries have to offer. We’re also known to bake a delicious pie (or 10). From Dutch Apple to Blackberry to Pumpkin (just to name a few), we have a great selection of fall flavors. In addition, our crème pies like Lemon Meringue and Oreo Crème are delicious indulgences after a holiday meal.

Because our pies are baked fresh, they’re easy to pass off as your own home-baked treat at your family’s holiday gatherings (don’t worry, we won’t tell). Just order ahead to make sure that we have your favorite pie ready for pick up when you want it. We’ll do the baking so you can concentrate on the eating!

This month’s pie of the month is Pumpkin, on sale for just $6.99! It’s just one of the many delicious flavors we carry. Fruits, meringues and crèmes…we’ve got ‘em all.

Call your local Eat’n Park (click here for the number) to order one of the following flavors:

Apple
Dutch Apple
Blackberry
Cherry
Peachberry
Pumpkin
Orchard Fresh
Lemon Meringue
Oreo® Crème
Banana Crème
Coconut Crème Share

Monday, October 26, 2009

Why is our coffee better …Part 3

So, having read my earlier posts (you did read them, right? If not, click to read Part 1 and Part 2), you know the care that we put into finding the right blend of espresso beans and roasting them to produce the most flavorful espresso. We wanted to be certain that our espresso was of the highest quality before we offered our new espresso beverages to our guests.

Having landed on what we felt was the best combination of beans, blend, and roast level, we were finally ready to test our espresso program in one of our restaurants.

Handcrafted and made to order

The newly-opened Waterfront Eat’n Park in Homestead, PA, was our testing ground and the first Eat’n Park restaurant to offer espresso beverages. Guests loved it, and our servers were just as excited. In fact, one server’s experimentation with combining espresso with our classic hand-dipped milkshakes resulted in the creation of the incredible Vanilla Latte milkshake, which then led to further expansion of our espresso offerings.

When we were ready to roll out the new beverages to our other locations, we didn’t take the task lightly. All of our servers and managers went through thorough three-day training on how to create our made-to-order espresso drinks. Our team of trainers, nicknamed the “Bean Team”, traveled to every Eat’n Park location to ensure that each and every Eat’n Park server and manager knew how to craft a delicious espresso beverage, be it a latte, cappuccino, or espresso shot.

As you may have guessed, we take a lot of pride in the quality of our espresso drinks. We offer guests their choice of 1%, skim, or soy milk, with every drink made to order from freshly roasted beans. Our espresso rivals any you’d find in a specialty coffeehouse, at a better value!

If you haven't tried it yet...

For the uninitiated, the best way (at least in my opinion) to try an espresso without having a straight shot (which for some people is overwhelming) is to try an “Americano”. An Americano is a shot of espresso combined with a cup of hot water. When the weather is warm, I really love an iced Americano. Cool and refreshing, and WAY better than any iced coffee you can get anywhere.

But don’t let my personal taste be too much of an influence. We have a great selection of espresso drinks to suit almost any taste – just click here to see our online espresso menu. Whether you like yours hot, iced, or mixed into a milkshake, you’ll find something you’ll love at Eat’n Park. It’s just another reason that we’re the Place for Smiles!

Brooks

P.S. Try our new Egg Nog Chai Tea, on the house. I know you're going to love it! Click here to print your coupon, good through 12/24/2009. Happy Holidays!
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Monday, October 19, 2009

Why is our coffee better …Part 2

If you read my first post in our series on our espresso beverages (click here to read it now), you know that when we began developing our espresso program, we painstakingly tested hundreds of different espresso beans to find the perfect blend. We eventually landed on three varieties of beans from Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Brazil.

But choosing different coffees that complement each other perfectly is just the FIRST step. Next, and just as important, is roasting.

Roasted to perfection

When developing our espresso beverages, we spent just as much time searching for the perfect blend and roast level as we spent selecting the beans. The three coffees are first blended to our proprietary recipe, then roasted together in small batches locally here in Pittsburgh. By blending before roasting, we are able to get a nice harmonious flavor which allows the different coffees to complement each other. And small batch roasting allows us to keep an eagle’s eye on each roast to make sure it is perfect. It also allows the freshest possible coffee.

And espresso is just not darker roasted coffee…or at least our blend is not. Just because coffee is dark roasted doesn’t mean it tastes good. If the bean is not right, and matched with the perfect roast profile, it is just bad coffee roasted to taste burned!!

Water: The other 80%

Oh, and one last thing…without good, clean water nothing will taste good. After all, at least 80% of every espresso shot is water. It is a critical ingredient, and the one that most places overlook. But, not us…we filter ALL of our water at Eat’n Park. The water in our coffees, iced teas, and Pepsi are all filtered in house in a special system designed by our quality control team to ensure high quality beverages EVERY time.

With the beans and roast level finally selected and our filters ready to dispense fresh, clean water, we were ready for our guests to try our new espresso drinks. In my final installment, find out how our made-to-order beverages are individually crafted for each and every guest.

Until next time,
Brooks

P.S. I want you to try one of our lattes, on the house. I know you're going to love it! Click here to print a coupon for a free small latte, good through 11/20/2009.

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Monday, October 12, 2009

Halloween at Eat’n Park

At Eat’n Park we love Halloween. The leaves start to change. There’s a chill in the air. At Eat’n Park, we serve up hot potato soup (on Wednesdays and Sundays at least) and hot pumpkin chai lattes. Best of all, our Halloween Smiley Cookie comes back this time every year. What could be better than candy corn on a sugar cookie! It gets our blood pumping.

It’s not just us either (because we tend to like every shape Smiley takes). Halloween Smiley is our most popular special edition Smiley cookie. He’s been in a movie! He played alongside Emily Osment (Lily from Hannah Montana!) in “R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It”, filmed right here in the ‘burgh.

He’s been featured in two commercials and an online video (just check it out below).




He’s a regular celebrity, and you can tell because Halloween Smiley now even has his own t-shirt (he’s gone commercial).

If you’re a fan of the Halloween Smiley Cookie and want one of these beauties, you can find them in infant, child, and adult sizes all through October in some of our restaurants (click here to see which ones) and in our online store. If you check out my bio, you'll find a picture of me with last year’s version standing next to Smiley himself (yes, I’m a big fan).

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Halloween and Fall, and I hope I see you at Eat’n Park soon!

Kevin

P.S. Busy schedule this Halloween? Let us do the cooking. Here's a special treat (no tricks!): 20% off your takeout purchase, valid Friday 10/30 and Saturday 10/31/2009 only. Enjoy!

Click here to print your coupon.




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Find Smiley merchandise at your local Eat’n Park

Smiley’s gone commercial! You can now find our icon’s famous face on our official Smiley Stuff merchandise, featured on everything from t-shirts to mugs to chocolate (and, of couse, our legendary Smiley Cookies)!

All of our restaurants now carry a limited selection of items, like Smiley Chocolates (produced locally here in Pittsburgh by Sarris Candies) and our Smiley mugs, available in ceramic and travel versions.

If you’re looking for our Smiley apparel, available for infants, children, and adults, you can find it at one of our Pennsylvania Eat’n Park locations below, in addition to our online store.

  • McKnight Road Northbound
  • Whitehall
  • Bethel Park/South Park
  • Uniontown
  • South Hills Village
  • Monroeville
  • Robinson
  • Cranberry Twp.
  • Center Twp./Monaca
  • Grove City
  • North Huntingdon

Click here to find the hours and driving directions for the Eat’n Park location nearest you.

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Friday, October 9, 2009

New Gluten-Free Bun Available at Every Eat’n Park!

We have an exciting announcement for our guests who have celiac disease: we now have a gluten-free bun available in all of our restaurants! This new rice/tapioca-based bun is similar to an Italian-style roll, and we think you’re going to love it. Unlike some other gluten-free breads, it doesn’t have a dry, crumbly texture. In fact, it’s delicious!

We’ve always done our best of cater to our guests’ various dietary needs, and the back of our menu is a great resource for anyone on a low-calorie, reduced-sodium, vegetarian, or celiac-friendly diet. However, for those with gluten allergies, this new bun opens up a whole new world of celiac-friendly possibilities at Eat’n Park.

Below is a list of our menu items that can now be enjoyed gluten-free with the substitution of the new bun:

Burgers:Black Angus American Grill Burger
Black Angus BBQ Bacon and Cheddar Burger
Classic Black Angus Burger
Classic Black Angus Cheeseburger
Black Angus Superburger
Black Angus Mushroom and Onion Burger

Sandwiches:
Philly Steak and Cheese
Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich
Santa Fe Turkey and Bacon
Chicken and Portobella Hoagie
BLT

Breakfast Sandwiches:
All-American Scrambler
Texas-Sized Scrambler
Skinny Scrambler

Click here to see all of our other gluten-free items.

Just ask your server to substitute the new bun with your next meal, and as always, be sure let him or her know if you have a gluten allergy, so that we can avoid cross-contact with gluten ingredients when preparing your meal.

If you’ve had a chance to try the new bun, please post your comments here. We’d love to hear your feedback! Share

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Added convenience at the Belle Vernon Eat'n Park



We’ve just celebrated the opening of our brand-new pickup window at our Belle Vernon Eat’n Park! If you know any of our history, you know we used to operate as a drive-in, complete with car hops who brought your order to your car door. Our motto was, “Come as you are, Eat in your car.” Well, this new pickup window takes us back to those roots. You don’t need to eat in your car, but you can certainly come as you are!

Just call your order in (724-930-7470) and drive around to the window to pick it up!

This is the third Eat’n Park restaurant that has been renovated to include a pickup window, and our guests are loving the convenience so far. The other two pickup windows are located at our Monroeville and South Hills Village restaurants.

If you’ll be in the area, be sure to try it out – we know you’ll love the experience!
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Monday, October 5, 2009

Why is our coffee better…Part 1

Because we love coffee!!!! When I say we love coffee, I mean we like to drink it, we like to smell it, and we like to talk about it. And since we care, we spend A LOT of time making sure we start with the best ingredients, follow through with the perfect roast, and offer our guests nothing less than an expertly crafted espresso drink.


My name is Brooks, and I’m the Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage here at Eat’n Park. Among many other things, I oversee our espresso program, from sourcing the best beans to developing the perfect roast. Because I’m so passionate about the quality of our espresso beverages, I’m going to be writing a series of posts about our espresso and what makes it so good.



Before I get ahead of myself, you’re probably wondering how a family restaurant chain like us began offering espresso in the first place.

The beginning

Back in the late 1990’s, we noticed that interest in espresso-based coffee was growing, and that there was a developing trend toward high-quality, flavorful blends. Because we’re known for our classic breakfasts, we thought that espresso beverages would complement our menu and be well-received by our guests. Much like our strategy with the rest of our menu, our goal with espresso was to offer a high-quality product at an approachable price.

So, our quest for the perfect espresso blend began, and for some of us, that meant first getting some education in how coffee is produced. Allow me to pass on this wisdom…

An education in coffee

All coffee in the world is grown between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. And while there are limited places in the world it can be grown, it doesn’t mean that all areas are created equal. Coffee is a lot like wine, and choosing the right region is the first step towards having great coffee. To grow great coffee, you must have a balanced, harmonious environment and a farmer that is committed to high quality. These are the underlying principals driving Eat’n Park’s coffee program, and is the base of our espresso beans.

In our search for the highest-quality beans, we tested hundreds of varieties from many different regions. We finally landed on a flavorful blend, one that allows individual flavors to come through without being overpowering.

The ultimate blend

The coffee beans in our espresso blend come from three small and distinct regions: the central valley of Costa Rica, an eastern region of Guatemala called “El Oriente”, and the Bahia region of Brazil.
The “La Lapa SHB” coffee from Costa Rica is chosen because of its full body and ability to take on a dark roast and still hold its bright flavor. The “Arte Maya de Cafe” coffee from Guatemala provides a nice heavy body while retaining good acidity. And the Brazilian “La Minita Prep” is a highly consistent coffee with a full body and a very clean finish.

All of our coffees are shade grown at very high altitudes, which is the best growing environment for high quality coffee. We work directly with the grower and producer of the beans to ensure the finest quality…no middle man here!
In fact, every two years, we take a group of Eat’n Park team members directly to the coffee farms, where we can see firsthand the care that goes into creating our beans. This gives us a better understanding of coffee, and how minor climate changes affect the flavor of the beans. We’re also continually testing different beans to ensure that we are offering the best blend for our guests.
But choosing the right blend of beans is only the first step in creating a delicious cup of espresso. Roast level is just as important, but I’ll get into that in my next post.

Until next time,
Brooks Broadhurst

P.S. Here's a little treat for you loyal blog readers....try our Pumpkin Chai Tea for free with the coupon below. Just click here for a printable version.
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This week's local produce (week of 10-5-09)

Western Locations

Green Peppers
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler, PA
Yarnick Farms – Indiana, PA

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Yarnick Farms – Indiana, PA

Zucchini (Found in our Breaded Zucchini Appetizer)
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA

White Mushrooms (Found in our Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer)
Creekside Mushrooms – Butler, PA

Portabello Mushrooms
Creekside Mushrooms – Butler, PA

Radishes
KW Zeller – Portage County, OH
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH

Eastern Locations

White Mushrooms (Found in our Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer)
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Portabello Mushrooms
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Tomatoes
Steve Groff – Cedar Meadow Farm

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Bob Musser - Lancaster

Green Peppers
Ivan Reiff - Lancaster

Watermelon
Ivan Reiff – Lancaster

Cucumbers
Hogeland Farms - Lancaster Share

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Careers at Eat'n Park

Like most employers, we look for certain qualities in a team member, although you may find ours a little unique. At the top of our list is an individual who knows how to smile. After that, we look for someone who's bright, hard-working, knows how to be a team player, and wants to make Eat'n Park an even warmer, friendlier place.

If you're looking for a career in management or at our corporate office, visit our Careers section at http://www.eatnpark.com/careers.asp to see what positions are available.

If you're interested in a hands-on job at your local Eat'n Park restaurant, we always have openings for friendly servers, greeters, cooks, buspersons, prep workers, and dishwashers. Just stop in and speak to the manager on duty - he or she will be able to tell you what jobs they're currently hiring for, and can have you fill out an application to be considered for an interview. Click here to find the Eat'n Park nearest you.

Finally, if you are seeking an internship to round out your college experience, click here to read more about our internship program.

We look forward to welcoming you to the team! Share

Smiley Cookie Ingredients and Allergens

We receive a lot of requests for the ingredients in our famous Smiley Cookies, especially from guests with food allergies. While we can't share the recipe for our delicious cookies, we can tell you that they contain the following allergens: wheat, soy, egg, and milk.

For those who are allergic to tree nuts, it’s also important to note that while the Smiley Cookie itself does not contain any nut products, these allergens are present in our restaurants, where the cookies are iced and baked. Additionally, the candy corn on our Halloween Smiley Cookie is produced in a factory that also processes nuts.

But no need to fear... SmileyCookie.com is here! At SmileyCookie.com, you can order individually wrapped cookies that are both nut free AND kosher. (That also includes the candy corn on our Halloween cookies!) Plus, we'll ship them right to your doorstep to make life easy on you. Click here to check out our nut free cookies today!

If you have any additional questions about ingredients or allergens in any of our menu items, please email us at responses@eatnpark.com.

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Eat’n Park’s Chef Regis wins prestigious Chef of the Year award

We’re happy to announce that earlier this summer, Chef Regis Holden, our head of menu development and frequent blog contributor, learned that he had been awarded a very special honor: He was named 2008 Chef of the Year by the Laurel Highlands Chapter of the American Culinary Federation (ACF). Congratulations, Regis!

Regis was honored not only because of his accomplishments at Eat’n Park, but also because of his service to the ACF and his work with students at Westmoreland County Community College, where he is a part-time instructor. He is also a Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Administrator.

A 25-year Eat’n Park veteran, Regis has had a hand in developing almost everything on our current menu, including our award-winning American Grill Burger, which he developed from a family recipe (click here to read the full story). Along with Chef John Frick, Regis works to continuously add fresh new items in with the classic favorites that our guests know and love.

With Regis’ prestigious award came a gigantic trophy engraved with the names of all the past winners. Though he has taken a fair amount of good-natured ribbing over the size of the trophy (now on display at his desk here at our office), we’re certainly proud of Regis for his contributions to Eat’n Park and to the culinary community.

Way to go, Regis! Click here to read more about his award. Share

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

This week's local produce (week of 9-28-09)

Western Locations

Round Vine-Ripe Tomatoes
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler, PA

Green Peppers
Holthouse Farms – Willard, OH
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler, PA
Yarnick Farms – Indiana, PA

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Yarnick Farms – Indiana, PA

Zucchini (Found in our Breaded Zucchini Appetizer)
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Harvest Valley Farms – Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH

White Mushrooms (Found in our Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer)
Creekside Mushrooms – Butler, PA

Portabello Mushrooms
Creekside Mushrooms – Butler, PA

Radish
KW Zeller – Portage County, OH
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH

Eastern Locations

White Mushrooms (Found in our Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer)
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Portobello Mushrooms
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Tomatoes
Steve Groff – Cedar Meadow Farm

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Bob Musser - Lancaster

Green Peppers
Ivan Reiff - Lancaster

Watermelon
Ivan Reiff – Lancaster

Cucumbers
Hogeland Farms - Lancaster Share

Warm up with a Fall Espresso Beverage!

It's official: Fall is here, and if you're anything like me, you love warming up with a hot drink. Well, our espresso beverages are a great way to do that. We have a great selection of lattes, chai tea, and espresso milkshakes year-round, but the incoming chilly weather makes our hot drinks especially tempting.

One of my favorites is our Pumpkin Chai Tea, which is only available for a limited time. Made with Oregon Chai Tea, Torani Pumpkin syrup, and a sprinkling of cinnamon, the Pumpkin Chai really gets me in the mood for fall.

Our new Hazelnut Latte is another great new item. Of course, you can't forget about our other classic favorites, like the Caramel Latte, Caffe Mocha, or our Cappuccino.

At Eat'n Park, all of our espresso beverages are prepared to order, just like at your favorite coffee shop. Plus, we have your choice of 1%, skim, or soymilk. Click here to see our online espresso menu.

Stop in today to warm up with a handcrafted espresso! Share

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Enjoy a Great Meal and a Discount When You’re on the Road!

Recently, one of our guests wrote about our hotel discounts in her blog. It was then that it occurred to us that even though we’ve been offering this program for years, many Eat’n Park fans are not aware that they can receive a discount at Eat’n Park when staying at partnering hotels.

Just show your hotel room key at any of the locations below to receive 10% off your order.

PENNSYLVANIA LOCATIONS

  • Altoona, PA
  • Clarion, PA
  • Cranberry, PA
  • DuBois, PA
  • Fairview, PA
  • Franklin, PA
  • Grove City, PA
  • Harrisburg, PA (Lindle Rd)
  • Hermitage, PA
  • Indiana, PA
  • Lancaster, PA
  • New Stanton, PA
  • Pittsburgh Airport (University Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA )
  • Pittsburgh, PA (Banksville Road)
  • Pittsburgh Mills Mall (Pittsburgh Mills Blvd, Pittsburh, PA)
  • Somerset, PA
  • State College, PA
  • Uniontown, PA
  • Washington, PA
  • York, PA
OHIO
  • St. Clairsville, OH
  • Streetsboro, OH
  • Willoughby, OH
WEST VIRGINIA
  • Clarksburg, WV
  • Wheeling, WV

Thanks to Joyce at Rejoice in Saving for bringing this to our attention. Click here to read her blog for some other great deals.

Happy travels!

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Eat’n Park Hours, Locations, and Phone Numbers

Looking to find the location and hours of operation for the nearest Eat’n Park? Use our restaurant locator to find the address, hours of operation, phone number, and takeout menu for the Eat’n Park location nearest you.

Just click here to use the locator. You’ll need to enter your zip code, and our restaurant locator will let you know which Eat’n Park locations are closest. You can view (and print, if you wish) a takeout menu, as well as get the phone number so you can place your order.

Additionally, if you are a tour operator, the locator displays which restaurants have bus parking on site. Share

Monday, September 14, 2009

Eat'n Park Takeout Coupon

Fall can sometimes bring about the chaos of adjusting to new schedules, especially when someone in your household is heading back to school. However, this time of year also brings us Eat'n Park's Fall Specials!
Just like the rest of our menu, our fall specials are available to go. That means that Eat'n Park is your one-stop-shop for meals to make the whole family happy. Our takeout is already a great value, but we'll sweeten the deal even more with this special coupon for our fans: $5 off your next $20 takeout order! Just click here to print the coupon.

This offer is good through September 30, 2009.
So, next time you're too busy to cook, call your local Eat'n Park to place your takeout order. Just click here to get the number and see the takeout menu. And to find out more about all of our delicious new specials, click here to read Chef Regis' blog. Share

Fall in love with our Fall Specials!

Don’t look now, but fall is just around the corner. Really! School has started, the air conditioners are being shut off, the nights are downright chilly, and I am starting to see leaves in my yard.

Still, fall is my favorite time of year. You have football season, the beautiful changing of the leaves, the crisp autumn air, and the new fall specials at Eat’n Park. We are introducing to you a great line up of old favorites and new classics. Let’s take a look at the old favorites first:

Stuffed Mushroom Caps – What a great appetizer! These locally-grown mushroom caps are brimming with our own crab and seafood stuffing…perfect to share on a chilly evening when out with friends before or after a show.

Chef's Cobb Salad – This salad has the look of autumn with its layers of colorful ingredients, but still gives us the feel of summer. Rows of diced ham, American cheese, hard-boiled egg, ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, Swiss chesse, and turkey over mixed greens. Gorgeous!

Gourmet Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup – Nothing’s better than this combination to take you home again, even if you are away on business or at school. We spice up the traditional grilled cheese sandwich by using our grilled six-grain bread and adding bacon to melted American, Swiss, and Pepper Jack cheeses. Served with a grilled-cheese sandwich’s best friend: hot, creamy Campbell’s Tomato soup.

Baked Ziti and Sausage – Roasted sausage, tender pasta, and rich sauce all baked together with a topping of mozzarella cheese. Does it get any better than that?

Turkey Dinner – An Eat’n Park favorite as long as I have been around (and no, I’m not telling you how long!). Tender-roasted turkey breast with stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce. Ahh, comfort food.

But if you don’t try something new once and a while, you’ll never know what you could be missing! Here are our soon-to-be classics:

Chicken BLT – This is a great hearty sandwich, and it is served on our one-of-a-kind six grain bread.

Skinny Scrambler – Breakfast never felt so good! Multi-grain bread, healthy egg substitute and lean Canadian bacon, served with a side of fresh fruit. It’s Eat’n Smart!

Texas Scrambler – Hearty, if not entirely healthy! This is our scrambler on steroids. Two scrambled eggs, two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and your choice of meat, stuffed between two slices of grilled Texas Toast. Plus, your choice of potatoes on the side. Bring your appetite if you are ordering this one!

Chicken Cordon Bleu – I have left my favorite for last. Hand-breaded and baked chicken topped with layers of thinly sliced ham, Swiss cheese, and a touch of white wine butter sauce. It’s delicious!

It’s been a busy summer, and the days are getting shorter. Give yourself a break, stop by an Eat’n Park, and let us do the cooking for you. You won’t be disappointed.

Enjoy!
Regis

P.S. For the nutritional information on these specials (and any item found on our menu), just check out our nutritional calculator! Share

Friday, September 11, 2009

Eat’n Park Rocks Winners

This summer, we celebrated our 60th anniversary in a big way. We wanted to thanks our loyal guests for 6 great decades. So, we gave away more than 500,000 rockin’ great prizes and rewards! Six lucky guests really won big by taking our top prizes:

$10,000 Grand Prize: And the winner is…. Cindy W!
Cindy, a postal service worker, lives with her family in Toronto, Ohio. Although Cindy took the top prize, she had quite a bit of help in doing so! Cindy’s mother-in-law actually received the winning ticket with her meal at the Steubenville Eat’n Park Restaurant. Since Cindy’s mother-in-law doesn’t have a computer, she asked Cindy to enter the ticket into the sweepstakes. Cindy promptly entered the code and the rest is history! In fact, the ticket was still sitting next to her computer when she received the call notifying her that she was our grand prize winner. Cindy split the grand prize with her mother-in-law, donated 10% to her church, and stashed the rest away for a rainy day.

Trip for 4 to Aruba (First Prize): Art A. from White Oak, PA

Southwest Airline Tickets (Second Prize): Leonard K. from Sewickley, PA; Lorrie L. from North Cambria, PA; and Samantha R. from West Mifflin, PA

Congratulations to our winners and thanks for rockin’ with us this summer! Share

A Great Day for a Smiley Cookie

There’s nothing quite like getting back to your roots! On Saturday, August 29, Team Smiley stocked the Cookie Cruiser with a LOT of Smiley Cookies and hit the road for Titusville, Pa.

This small city in Northwest Pennsylvania is the childhood home of Eat’n Park’s Chairman of the Board, Jim Broadhurst, and also the birthplace of our Smiley Cookie. On this particular day, Titusville was celebrating the 150th anniversary of the discovery of oil in the city. We naturally wanted to join in the celebration!

We had the best spot in town, parked right in front of Warner’s Bakery…where it all began! When Jim was a boy, he would stop by Warner’s Bakery every day on the way home to enjoy a happy-faced sugar cookie. Jim loved the cookies so much that as an adult, he wanted to give kids visiting Eat’n Park the same feeling (click here to read Jim's story). It was great to meet the people of Titusville and to hear their stories and memories about Warner’s Bakery and those famous happy-faced cookies.

It was a wonderful day filled with fun, new friends and so many great memories. Click here to check out photos from the festivities. Below, Jim poses next to the story of the Smiley Cookie in one of our favorite photos of the day.

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Memories From Our Chairman

As Chairman of the Board and former CEO of Eat’n Park, I’ve had so much fun helping the company grow over the last three decades. It’s been a year since I turned over the reins of CEO to my son Jeff, and I’ve had a chance to reflect on my favorite memories as we celebrate Eat’n Park’s 60th Anniversary.

You may not know that an early memory of mine became the seed for the idea of our most recognizable icon: the Smiley Cookie. Growing up in Titusville, PA, I would buy a smiley-faced cookie at a local bakery on my way home from school every day. I loved those cookies so much, and as an adult, I wanted to pass that feeling along to all of the children who visited our restaurants. The pride our bakers take in decorating the cookies brings joy to the faces of thousands of children everyday. I still can’t believe how popular the Smiley Cookie has become! The town of Titusville is proud of their role in our success. This summer, Titusville celebrated its famous heritage of being the place oil was discovered 150 years ago. Naturally, our Smiley mascot returned to his roots to be featured in the parade!

Another favorite memory of mine is our long and wonderful relationship with Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He loved Eat’n Park and was always helpful in developing menu items and activities for children and families who were enjoying a meal in our restaurants.

Speaking of kids, our Caring for Kids campaign has always been close to my heart, and I will never forget the talented “Eat’n Park Singers” from the 1980’s. They were a dedicated and caring group of team members who graciously volunteered their time and talent to record a Christmas album, perform in the restaurants, and to raise money for Children’s Hospital. They were very special people. I’m so proud that our team members carry on this tradition of volunteerism to this day, both in the Caring for Kids campaign and for many other worthy causes.

Reading through the stories that our guests have submitted has brought back even more memories, and even though I could probably fill a book, I’ll stop here for now. But you shouldn’t! Click here to share your memories with us. It’s been a fantastic 60 years, and we look forward to 60 more years as your Place for Smiles!

Jim Broadhurst Share

A FarmSource Success Story: Rippling Brook Farm

Local farmers are busy harvesting their crops, and at Eat’n Park, that means that our guests are enjoying a bounty of fresh produce thanks to our FarmSource program. The seedlings I saw during my spring farm tour (click here to read that post) are now producing fresh fruits and veggies that we’re featuring daily on our salad bar and in our menu items. Click here to see photos of these bountiful fields from my summer farm tour.

It’s hard to believe that the FarmSource program has been up and running for seven years now. Besides the obvious benefit to our guests, I’m happy to say that the support that FarmSource provides to local farmers has kept at least one farm from disappearing.

I met Aaron Schwartz back in 2002 at a Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture conference. Aaron is an Amish farmer from Sligo, PA, and after the conference, he hitched a ride to our offices to talk more about the program I was developing. Aaron’s farm is a little off the beaten path, and he was eager to get his produce into the Pittsburgh market. He explained that unless I could help him, he was getting out of farming. At the time, a bushel of his zucchini was earning him 75 cents at the local farmer’s market, and the box needed to hold the zucchini was costing him 25 cents.

Eager to help my new friend, I convinced Paragon Food Service, one of Eat’n Park’s suppliers, to make a new stop on their regular routes. Today, the hand-breaded fried zucchini at Eat’n Park comes from Aaron’s farm. Additionally, you can find his melons at Giant Eagle and his organic fruits and vegetables at Whole Foods Market.

After that first year of using Aaron’s produce, he invited me out to his land to enjoy a meal with his family. Fresh chicken, apple pie, and goats milk rounded out the delicious menu, and we had a wonderful time eating and celebrating the success of our partnership. Afterward, Aaron and I were touring the farm when I noticed a bulldozer in the distance. I soon learned that Aaron was putting in a loading dock to make his farm more accessible for the food trucks used in wholesale trade! It was amazing to think that just a year before, Aaron had been on the verge of giving up farming.

As this program continues to grow, I look forward to sharing more stories like Aaron’s. We currently partner with over 20 local farms and dairies through FarmSource, and I’m constantly working to develop new partnerships. To see a map and links to our partners, just click here.

And to find out more about Aaron’s Rippling Brook Farm, just click here.

Happy harvesting!
Jamie Share

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

This week's local produce (week of 9-7-09)

Here's what's fresh, local, and delicious at Eat'n Park this week:

Western locations

Round Vine-Ripe Tomatoes
Harvest Valley Farms - Valencia, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler, PA
Beccari Farms – Allegheny County, PA

Yellow Squash
Wexford Farms – Butler County, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard, OH

Green Peppers
Holthouse Farms – Willard, OH
Wexford Farms – Butler, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler, PA
Mason Farms – Erie, PA

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Yarnick Farms – Indiana, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard, OH

Zucchini (Found in our Breaded Zucchini Appetizer)
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Harvest Valley Farms – Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH

Cucumbers
R.O. Apelt – Ohio
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH
Mason Farms – Erie, PA

Mushrooms – White and Portobello
Creekside Mushrooms – Butler, PA

Eastern Locations

White Mushrooms & Portobello Mushrooms
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Tomatoes
Steve Groff – Cedar Meadow Farm

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Bob Musser - Lancaster

Yellow Squash
Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster

Green Peppers
Ivan Reiff - Lancaster

Watermelon
Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster Share

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Eat'n Park Coupons

Looking for Eat'n Park coupons? Here on our blog is a good place to start. We often post coupons for our blog readers, so check back frequently. Click here to check out the coupon section for our most recently posted coupons.

The best (and most convenient) way to get Eat'n Park coupons is to sign up for our email club. You'll get a coupon just for signing up, plus a special coupon for your birthday and for your anniversary. Additionally, we often include special offers in our monthly newsletters. Just click here to join now!

Our Facebook fans and Twitter followers also get exclusive benefits like coupons and notifications when we have special offers. Click here to become a fan on Facebook, and here to follow us on Twitter.

Enjoy your savings! Share

Monday, August 31, 2009

This week's local produce (week of 8-31-09)

Find the following locally-grown produce on our salad bar and in our menu items:

Western Locations

Round Vine-Ripe Tomatoes
Harvest Valley Farms - Valencia, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler, PA
Beccari Farms – Allegheny County, PA

Yellow Squash (Found in our Pasta Primavera)
Wexford Farms – Butler County, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard, OH
Mason Farms – Erie, PA

Green Peppers
Holthouse Farms – Willard, OH
Wexford Farms – Butler, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler, PA
Mason Farms – Erie, PA

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Yarnick Farms – Indiana, PA

Zucchini (Found in our Breaded Zucchini Appetizer)
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Harvest Valley Farms – Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH
Mason Farms – Erie, PA

Cucumbers
R.O. Apelt – Ohio
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH
Mason Farms – Erie, PA

Mushrooms – White and Portobello
Creekside Mushrooms – Butler, PA

Eastern Locations

White Mushrooms & Portobello Mushrooms
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Tomatoes
Steve Groff – Cedar Meadow Farm

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Bob Musser - Lancaster

Yellow Squash (Found in our Pasta Primavera)
Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster

Green Peppers
Ivan Reiff - Lancaster

Watermelon
Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster Share

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

FREE food and great values for families every day at Eat’n Park

It’s here again already – back-to-school season! If you’re like me and my family, you’ve probably been looking for deals during your back-to-school shopping trips. My family’s bargain-hunting got me thinking about the great deals that are available for kids and families right here at Eat’n Park. Some restaurants offer deals on certain days of the week. At Eat’n Park, we prefer to offer our great values EVERY day.

You may not have known that….
  • We offer free baby food upon request at every Eat’n Park restaurant. We haven’t forgotten about our youngest guests!
  • Kids 5 and under eat free from our Endless Soup & Salad bar when they’re with an adult who has purchased it. In addition, kids 10 and under can always order the salad bar for half-price. This is a great deal for families. The salad bar is only $6.99 as an adult entrée, and it’s filled with crispy vegetables (many that are locally grown), hand-cut fruits, homemade soups, and fresh-baked goodies like muffins, biscuits, and cornbread. We’re proud to say that the soup and salad bar is our second best selling kids menu item. It runs very close to chicken fingers. How many restaurants can say that?!
  • Our Breakfast Buffet and Sunday Brunch are also free for kids 5 and under when an adult in their party has purchased the buffet. Like the salad bar, kids 10 and under can always enjoy the buffet for half-price. With breakfast staples like eggs, potatoes, sausage, bacon, pancakes, fresh fruit, and more, the buffet is a great way to start your family’s day!
  • Our children’s menu features 12 kids’ meals under $3, and includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner selections.
  • Of course, every child always receives a complimentary Smiley Cookie after their meal! Well, you probably did know that, since kids have been enjoying our famous Smiley Cookies for more than 20 years!
Here’s wishing you a successful and enjoyable school year!

Kevin Share

Monday, August 24, 2009

Eat’n Park Burgers Recognized as “Best in the Nation”!

Are you ready, Eat’n Park fans? We have some really exciting news to share with you! On July 18 and 19, Eat’n Park participated for the second year in the National Hamburger Festival in Akron, OH. Not only did we have a great time serving our famous Superburgers to all of the hungry festival attendees, but we were ecstatic to learn the results of the 4th Annual Best Burger Competition.

And the winner is….drum roll, please……our Black Angus Mushroom and Onion Burger! This fantastic burger, made with chargrilled, seasoned Black Angus beef and topped with grilled onions, mushrooms and Swiss cheese, took first place in the Best Traditional Burger category.

And, for the second year in a row, our Black Angus American Grill Burger placed in the Best Creative Burger competition. The American Grill Burger is served on grilled Texas toast and topped with grilled onions, green peppers, mushrooms and American cheese. Then, we finish it off with just a hint of yellow mustard….delicious!

If you haven’t tried these burgers, be sure to order one the next time you visit an Eat’n Park so you can find out for yourself why the judges love them so much. We'll even sweeten the deal: order the Black Angus Mushroom and Onion Burger between August 24 and 30, and we'll give you a free Smiley Cookie! Just print the coupon below to redeem this offer.



And don’t forget to make plans for next year to come and visit us at the National Hamburger Festival. If you would like to learn more about the festival, visit the website at http://www.hamburgerfestival.com/. To see our complete list of burgers, along with our entire menu, just click here.

Chef Reuben and Smiley had a great time serving burgers to hungry fans!
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Friday, August 21, 2009

New Look for Our Morgantown Eat’n Park

From the moment you step into our newly remodeled Morgantown restaurant, you’ll know you’re in West Virginia! From the framed West Virginia University football and basketball jerseys hanging on the wall behind the new counter to the blue and gold upholstery and carpeting, it really feels like West Virginia.

We are excited to share the “before” and “after” photos with you, below. You will love the dramatic changes to the lobby area and the addition of a meeting space, for the comfort and convenience of all of our guests!

There are many other updates that we haven’t listed or pictured here so be sure to stop by and check it out for yourself.
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Monday, August 17, 2009

This week's local produce (week of 8-17-09)

Here's what's fresh and local this week at Eat'n Park...

Western Locations

Round Vine-Ripe Tomatoes
Harvest Valley Farms - Valencia, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler, PA

Yellow Squash (Found in our Pasta Primavera)
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard, OH
Mason Farms – Erie, PA

Green Peppers
Holthouse Farms – Willard, OH
Wexford Farms – Butler, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler, PA

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Yarnick Farms – Indiana, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard, OH

Zucchini (Found in our Breaded Zucchini Appetizer)
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Harvest Valley Farms – Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH
Mason Farms – Erie, PA

Cucumbers
R.O. Apelt – Ohio
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH
Mason Farms – Erie, PA

Mushrooms – White and Portobello
Creekside Mushrooms – Butler, PA

Eastern Locations

Mushrooms – White and Portobello
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Tomatoes
Steve Groff – Cedar Meadow Farm

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Bob Musser - Lancaster

Yellow Squash (Found in our Pasta Primavera)
Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster

Green Peppers
Ivan Reiff - Lancaster

Watermelon
Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster Share

Farm Tour 2009 - Summer Edition

Hopefully, you recall my spring posting, "Farm Tour 2009". Well, I’m back with an update. How things have changed since those early days of spring! In the spring, the fields were just being plowed, and in some cases, seeds hadn’t even been sown yet. It's a wonderful sight to look out at these same formerly barren fields and see how they are flourishing. In most cases, the fields are filled with some really gorgeous looking veggies.

As you can tell by now, I enjoy visiting with our farmers, so for my summer tour, my first visit was to Cedar Meadow Farms in Holtwood, PA. This farm is doing some pretty creative things when it comes to getting the most out of their plantings. The owner, Steve Groff, recently received a Sustainable Agricultural grant to experiment with grafting tomatoes, which is a technique that is commonly used for apple trees.

Grafting in tomato production is used to increase the resistance to soil-borne diseases, and it also increases fruit production due to the increased strength of the plant. Basically, they take a very hearty and disease-resistant root stock from one variety of tomato, and graft it to the fruit-producing shoot of another variety of tomato. This yields a very prolific and quality tomato. As you can see, Steve’s grafted tomatoes are doing quite well.
I then went Brenckle’s Farm and Greenhouse in Butler, PA. This time, I visited the farm and not the greenhouse. I met with Don Brenckle and had an opportunity to see the fields and variety of vegetables that he grows. One of the items that I saw was zucchini. These plants were 4 feet tall had tons of yellow flowers on them. This particular field had already been picked but the plants were again producing more fruit for future harvesting.


Some of the other fields that I saw were corn, celery, red onions, eggplant and lastly, tomatoes. Every one of the fields was producing an abundance of produce, except for the tomatoes. Don said that his tomatoes were growing unbelievably well, and then on the evening of August 4th, things went south.

That evening, he noticed a white powder that was forming on the leaves of the tomato plants. Overnight, these plants turned brown and large blisters were found on the tomatoes. This highly contagious fungus destroyed all of the tomato plants in one of his fields. The spores of the fungus, called late blight, are often present in the soil, and small outbreaks are not uncommon in August and September. But the cool, wet weather in we had in June and the aggressively infectious nature of the pathogen have combined to produce an explosive rate of infection this year, specifically in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States.

Below is photo of what the tomato plants looked like when they were affected by the blight.

Thankfully, only one field was affected by late blight, and we have our fingers crossed that no other fields will be hit by the outbreak. Though Don’s tomato crop was lost, we are fortunate that our other local suppliers were not affected, and we’re still able to offer our guests healthy, delicious locally-grown tomatoes throughout this month and hopefully in to September.

My visit with Don was a reminder of the challenges faced by our local farmers, and how our FarmSource program can help sustain them when something like the late blight takes a toll on their production. Our FarmSource program ensures these farmers with a dependable income to support their families and their farms through the next growing season.

Until next time,
Jamie Share

Monday, August 10, 2009

This week's local produce (week of 8/10/09)

Western Locations

Round Vine-Ripe Tomatoes
Harvest Valley Farms - Valencia, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler, PA

Yellow Squash (Found in our Pasta Primavera)
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Mason Farms – Erie, PA

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA

Zucchini (Found in our Breaded Zucchini Appetizer)
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Harvest Valley Farms – Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH

Cucumbers
R.O. Apelt – Ohio
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH

Eastern Locations

White Mushrooms & Portabello Mushrooms
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Tomatoes
Steve Groff – Cedar Meadow Farm

Green Cabbage (Found in our Signature Homemade Coleslaw)
Bob Musser - Lancaster

Yellow Squash (Found in our Pasta Primavera)
Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster

Green Peppers
Ivan Reiff - Lancaster

Watermelon
Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster

Cucumbers
Hogeland Farms - Lebanon Share

Friday, August 7, 2009

Small but mighty: Mini Desserts are back!

They’re back: Our delicious mini desserts pack a lot of flavor into a small package. And they’re good for your wallet at only $1.49 each. You can even try all 3 for only $4.00!

We’re sweetening the deal even more for you, our blog readers. Just click here to print this coupon, then bring it to Eat’n Park now through August 21 to get a FREE mini dessert with your dinner.

There are three great flavors to choose from: Bananas Foster’n Crème, Strawberry Pie’n Crème, and Fudge Brownies’n Crème.

Enjoy!
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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

This week's local produce (week of 8/3/09)

Ripe, juicy local tomatoes are coming into season! See what else is locally grown this week at Eat'n Park...

Western Locations

Tomatoes
Tye Brenninger - Marietta, OH

Yellow Squash
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms - Willard, OH
Mason Farms – Erie, PA

Green Cabbage
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA

Zucchini
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Harvest Valley Farms – Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH

Cucumbers
R.O. Apelt – Ohio
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH

Eastern Locations

White Mushrooms
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Portabello Mushrooms
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Tomatoes
Steve Groff – Cedar Meadow Farm

Green Cabbage
Bob Musser - Lancaster

Yellow Squash
Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster

Green Peppers
Ivan Reiff - Lancaster

Watermelon

Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster Share

Monday, July 27, 2009

This Week’s Local Produce (week of 7/27/09)

See what’s fresh and local at Eat’n Park this week, courtesy of FarmSource, our local purchasing program.

Western Locations:

Radishes
Holthouse Farms - Willard, OH
KW Zeller – Portage County, OH

Yellow Squash
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms - Willard, OH

Green Cabbage
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA

Zucchini
Brenckle’s Farms – Butler County, PA
Harvest Valley Farms – Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms - Butler County, PA
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH

Cucumbers
R.O. Apelt – Ohio
Holthouse Farms – Willard County, OH

Eastern Locations:

White Mushrooms
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Portabello Mushrooms
Basciani Farms – Chester, PA

Tomatoes
Steve Groff – Cedar Meadow Farm

Green Cabbage
Bob Musser - Lancaster

Yellow Squash
Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster

Green Peppers
Leola Produce Auction - Lancaster Share