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Last week, our 47th Annual Caring for Kids campaign concluded, and we want to thank all the team members and guests who once again came together to raise money for children’s hospitals and charities across our footprint! Year after year, you floor us with your generosity!   

2025 Caring for Kids Total 

For this year’s campaign, we’re excited to announce that we raised $365,489 for 24 local children’s hospitals, bringing our grand total to more than $12 million raised since 1979!  

Caring for Kids Ford Bronco Winner 

In addition to our guests and team members, we’d like to say a huge “Thank You!” to our generous partners, especially Neighborhood Ford Store. Their donation of a 2025 Ford Bronco Big Bend helped us raise more than $120,000 through raffle ticket sales.   

Santa came early for Ernest from Glenshaw, the lucky winner of that brand-new Ford Bronco, who purchased his ticket at the Waterworks Eat'n Park! Congratulations!  

Who Caring for Kids Benefits 

Each year, Caring for Kids benefits over a dozen hospitals thanks to our team members and guests across the 11 states in which we do business. This year was no different!   

Our largest donation benefits UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and we were proud to present that contribution live on the KDKA Free Care Fund Telethon.   

The efforts of our team members outside of the Greater Pittsburgh Area stretched from Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland, ME to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL, and many others in between!  

Thank You!  

Thank you again to everyone who contributed to Caring for Kids. You truly make a difference in our communities! 

Start 2026 on the right foot with our New Year’s Day Brunch Buffet! At select locations until 11AM on January 1, we’ll be serving your favorite breakfast meats, waffles, pancakes, eggs, and more at participating locations! 

• Avalon
• Banksville
• Bethel Park
• Center
• Chippewa
• Collier Township
• Hampton
• Hermitage
• Indiana
• McKnight (Northbound)
• Monroeville
• Pittsburgh Mills
• Robinson
• Somerset
• South Hills
• Whitehall

Say good morning to affordable breakfast! Rise and shine with Eat’n Park’s Weekday Breakfast Smile, on sale now for a limited time! 

Weekdays until 11AM, enjoy this hearty breakfast combo of two eggs; your choice of three pieces of bacon, sausage, or turkey sausage; plus, breakfast potatoes or fresh-cut fruit and toast — all for just $7.99! 

Whether you’re headed to work, running errands, or enjoying a rare slow morning to yourself, our Weekday Breakfast Smile offers a full meal at a price that makes mornings easier.  

For dine-in or to go, don’t miss out on our $7.99 Weekday Breakfast Smile! 

Who has the best chicken noodle soup? Eat’n Park, of course! When that warm savory goodness hits your lips, it tastes like home.  

And what's the best easy dinner idea for when it's cold out? Limited-time-only $5 Chicken Noodle Soup quarts, of course! 

$5 Chicken Noodle Soup Quarts for a Limited Time Only 

For a limited time only, enjoy $5 quarts of our famous, comforting Chicken Noodle Soup when you take them to go!  

Take a Soup Quart to Go! 

Stay warm and order online via our app or website for pickup from our Pickup Window (you don't even have to leave your car!), lobby shelves, and at select locations, curbside pickup!   

Struggling with gift ideas for friends and family this holiday season? Head to your local Eat’n Park for everything you need to create a Smile! From gift cards to merchandise, EnP fans  will love these holiday gifts! 

Eat’n Park Gift Cards 

Treat someone to a trip to the Place for Smiles with an Eat’n Park gift card! Right now, when you purchase $25 in restaurant gift cards, you get $25 in 2026 coupons! It’s a win for them and a win for you.  

Christmas Star Merchandise 

Do you know someone who loves the Eat’n Park Christmas Star commercial? (We bet there's more than one person!) Give them a special lift with Christmas Star merch! We have shirts, mugs, and more to celebrate the story of the determined star and generous tree.  

Christmas Star Cookie Pack 

In addition to Christmas Star merch, we also have our brand-new Christmas Star Cookie Pack! This pack comes with six Sprinkle Tree Cookies and six Sparkle Star Cookies. We hope the spirit of this story lasts all year long! 

Eat’n Park Holiday Pies 

Invited to a party? Bring the host a holiday pie! Choose from Pumpkin, Apple, and more to bring a Smile to their face. Stop in to see what’s behind the bakery case or call or order ahead online up to 24 hours in advance!  

Find a local Eat’n Park near you!  

The holidays are coming, which means you need to start thinking about Christmas desserts!  

Let Eat’n Park take care of the baking! Treat family and friends to holiday pies, and choose from a wide variety of flavors, including Apple, Blackberry, Cookies and Cream, and more!   

Rumor has it that Smiley Cookies are Santa's favorite cookie: Add our Christmas Star Pack to your order to make Jolly Old Saint Nick smile! This pack comes with an assortment of Sprinkle Tree Cookies and Sparkle Star Cookies to celebrate the beloved tradition of our Christmas Star commercial!  

Order holiday desserts online for pickup or take a pie or two to go on your next Eat’n Park visit! 

It’s that time of year...time for our Christmas Star commercial! Every year, we are moved by the comments we hear about this classic spot. Many of you have told us that it is what gets you in the holiday spirit, and that it reminds you of what the holidays are all about. We’ve even heard the commercial has been referenced in Christmas Eve sermons! 

Retelling the story of the “Christmas Star” has become an annual tradition for us, kind of like reading “The Night Before Christmas” for many families. So just how did this classic come to be? 

It all started in early 1982. Eat’n Park was just beginning to blossom into the family restaurant chain you’re now familiar with, and the company was prospering. Our CEO at the time, Jim Broadhurst, wanted to create a holiday card on video to thank the city of Pittsburgh for their support of Eat’n Park and our Caring for Kids campaign for local children’s hospitals, which at the time, was just a few years old. 

So, Jim tasked Ketchum, our ad agency at the time, with creating a message that would “last for 20 years.” Easy, right? Craig Otto, then a young art director, and Cathy Bowen, a fledgling copywriter at the time, led the project. The pair worked for 3 weeks to generate over 30 ideas, none of which were met with approval. Eventually, they hit upon the idea of an animated commercial, but they still weren’t sure where they were going with it. 

One Sunday shortly thereafter, Craig decided to come into the office. He sketched out a star, a traditional holiday image, and then stopped. “How does the star get to the top of the tree?” He played around with a few ideas until deciding that, of course, the star would need some help from the tree itself. In a fateful coincidence, Cathy had also decided to come into the office that Sunday. So, while Craig worked out the illustrations, Cathy devised a simple, yet perfect sentiment to wrap up the commercial. 

Jim immediately loved the spot, and a timeless classic was born. Even better, the commercial has outlasted his original expectations. The idea of the relationship between the tree and the star illustrates an enduring holiday lesson – by helping one another, you’re making the world a brighter place. 

So, from everyone here at Eat’n Park, here’s hoping the special lift you get this holiday season lasts all year long! 

Read on to see when it will be airing on TV in the Pittsburgh area!   

2025 CHRISTMAS STAR AIR DATES 

WPXI 

• Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – November 27, 8:30 a.m.  
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas – December 4, 8 p.m. 
• Frosty the Snowman – December 4, 8:30 p.m.  
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – December 5 & December 11, 8 p.m. 
• It’s A Wonderful Life – December 24, 8 p.m. 

KDKA 

• A Paw Patrol Christmas – November 28, 8 p.m.  
• Reindeer In Here – December 6, 8 p.m.  
• CBS This Morning – Various episodes, December 22 – 25, 7 a.m. 
• Pittsburgh Today Live – Various episodes, December 22 – 25, 9 a.m. 

WTAE 

• Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town – December 2, 9 p.m. 
• Great Christmas Light Fight – December 4 & December 11, 8 p.m. 
• iHeart Radio Jingle Ball 2025 – December 17, 8 p.m. 
• The Santa Clause – December 21, 8 p.m. 
• Home Alone – December 23, 8 p.m. 
• Disney Christmas Celebration – December 25, 10 a.m. 

TBS 

• A Christmas Story – December 24, 6 p.m. 

Hallmark 

• Countdown to Christmas – Various programming, November 27 – December 25 

Freeform 

• 25 Days of Christmas – Various programming, November 27 – December 25 

AMC 

• Best Christmas Ever – Various programming, November 27 – December 25 

TNT 

• A Christmas Story – December 24, 6 p.m. 

Food Network 

• Holiday Baking Championship – Various episodes, November 27 – December 25