Why are there ZERO Eat n Parks in the city?

Submitted by Shank_ t3_11c3upt in pittsburgh

There used to be one in squirrel hill but I guess it’s closed now? They used to be my favorite late night eating spot but now to go to one you have to cross a bridge and drive 20+ mins. What happened? Covid?

(Please recommend late night eats places for me in the meantime)

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rogimonster t1_ja1r8tf wrote

Lizzen up yinz. They quit on stickies. Eat n park is dead to me. Who cares where they are. No stickie, no yinzie.

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SWPintsylvania t1_ja3c3sm wrote

I found this out last week and was so damn sad I had to eat garlic bread with my salad instead of a sticky bun. Like a pleb.

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hail2pitt1787 t1_ja1re2n wrote

I was just at the one in Dormont this week and grilled stickies were on the desert menu.

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rogimonster t1_ja1ro89 wrote

Also they used to sell them in packages by the smiley cookies. Not no more they ain’t.

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rogimonster t1_ja1rjg6 wrote

Lies. https://www.eatnpark.com/menu/desserts

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lulu125 t1_ja3j9ds wrote

My daughter waitresses at an eat n park on Beaver County and told us the news this week. They lost their supplier and are searching for another.

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Aezon22 t1_ja40dbf wrote

Wait, supplier? I worked at one in the 90's and they made the stickies and everything else right there in the restaurant bakery. Sad to see they aren't doing that anymore.

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Clear_Air_3561 t1_ja4rgad wrote

Notice how king’s went out of business after getting rid of the frownie brownie? We have more power than we think we do

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CandlelitHair t1_ja53crs wrote

I miss the Frownie brownies. Better than the Smiley cookies.

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Potatosouppool t1_ja1go16 wrote

Technically the one in the Waterworks & the one on Banksville Road are both in the City. I heard the one in Squirrel Hill wasn't getting as much business as it once did

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Bradbitzer t1_ja39wrr wrote

I am not a big EnP fan, but it was such a place to be when I was a teenager. We would drive down from the suburbs to do city stuff and end up there after.

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drunkenviking t1_ja3t8af wrote

It's really the only thing to do after 10pm when you're under 21.

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ScratchMoore t1_ja45dsl wrote

Cigarettes, coffee, and grilled stickies a la mode. You just described half my life in 96-98 between the ages of 19 and 21 hahaha

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Fearless-Law-4916 t1_ja5ntyg wrote

I dont even think they have grilled stickies ala mode anymore, i looked last time i was there ☹️.

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ScratchMoore t1_ja6036f wrote

I heard that rumor a few days ago for the first time. Haven’t been there for a while, but I’m definitely checking next time I go.

Luckily, my nephew was selling stickies for a fund raiser this year, so I have some in my freezer for when I get that hankering

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Homely_wench t1_ja3ps6t wrote

The squirrel hill location closed :( One of the last 24 hour diners in the city (are there anymore?)

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cdelaney1982 t1_ja3tucd wrote

I was gonna say Ritters but I looked up their hours before I spoke...I am shocked and appalled by what I just saw 😭🤮

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Aezon22 t1_ja401lv wrote

WHAAAT! They probably had to get new locks cause they sure as hell didn't know where the old keys were.

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cdelaney1982 t1_ja40zzy wrote

Kinda makes a chick wanna open up an 11p-7a spot 🤔

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divineaudio t1_ja428pw wrote

Somebody needs to. This city desperately needs restaurants that are open past 10 pm.

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cdelaney1982 t1_ja437hm wrote

Who owns the spot where Ventos is? Does the family or do they rent from someone? 💡

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GarbageSad5442 t1_ja4yzz4 wrote

I know of a few locations, but I don't think any of them are open overnight since Covid hit. It is sad, always great to eat at after a night of revelry

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Romanakis t1_ja1omum wrote

If you’re in Shadyside, I’d try for Ritter’s, but I’m not sure about their hours since covid. They used to be open 24 hours, or at least on the weekends. They have a great avgolemono soup.

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arguchik t1_ja1qhzl wrote

Oh man, I love avgolemono soup! I’ve never heard of Ritter’s and now I’m really excited to go there. TY! :)

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RumbleInTheJungle4 t1_ja1hdqm wrote

There is an eat n park on west liberty Dormont border

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69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_ja3p3fl wrote

That's past city limits.

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Traditional_Ice_4839 t1_ja3s152 wrote

By 200 feet 🤣

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you_cant_pause_toast t1_ja3n53a wrote

Hello Bistro is owned by Eat'n Park and there are 3 in the city. Market Square, South Side and Oakland. You can get a Superburger, tha'ts about all the menu overlap they have. But the salads are huge and pretty good. That model probably works better in the city than an Eat'n Park.

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lutzcody t1_ja4m70a wrote

Yeah hello bistro is underrated imo. As you mentioned the salads are huge (I’ve literally never finished a whole one) and the prices are reasonable. Also the burgers and fries are also good.

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you_cant_pause_toast t1_ja53t59 wrote

Those fries are incredible! (They're hand-cut shoestring fries) So much better than Eat'N Park's fries.

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redct t1_ja5ympc wrote

> Hello Bistro is owned by Eat'n Park

So is The Porch in Schenley Plaza, believe it or not

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tesla3by3 t1_ja1s4y7 wrote

Two reasons Rents are significantly higher in the city.

The suburban population tends to skew towards chains and more “comfort food”.

So the same reason there’s no Applebees or Fridays. (Excluding Waterworks, which is technically in the city)

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1ll1l1ll1l1l1l1l1ll1 t1_ja3ht2h wrote

The average Eat n Park patron probably isn't willing to park on the street somewhere and walk to the restaurant

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Hoppiness83 t1_ja2igu6 wrote

Look, another "people living in the city have better taste" Redditor, lol.

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tesla3by3 t1_ja2nchh wrote

I neither said nor implied that EatnPark was inferior. I occasionally eat there If there was one near me I’d probably go there more often.

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DangerousAwareness92 t1_ja3jz69 wrote

Nothing like eating and shopping at the same garbage chains available in every suburb across the country!

Better head out to red lobster early tonight champ. Lent n shit

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Hoppiness83 t1_ja4b6mb wrote

Who even does that? Surely not me.

I'm simply pointing out the "city living is elite" idiot crowd. And Reddit is full of them. You know, those feeling superior because they live in the city. Like it's a big deal or something.

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pAul2437 t1_ja24rm3 wrote

There are two in the city. The comfort food doesn’t check either. There are tons of pizza places which is the ultimate comfort food.

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tesla3by3 t1_ja3j16l wrote

Maybe comfort food wasn’t the best word. Maybe “casual dining chain “ would be better. However, it doesn’t negate the point. Nor does the existence of 2 restaurants

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redurbandream t1_ja2t4tm wrote

The main point was about big chains. Try not to latch on to a single word uttered during an explanantion

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pAul2437 t1_ja2y0jv wrote

No it wasn’t. They made several points

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redurbandream t1_ja304r5 wrote

Ha I’m not going to continue this but you latched on to a single word. Very common behavior in teenagers and college grads

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pAul2437 t1_ja30mju wrote

There are and we’re those chains in the city though.

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CarterS20884 t1_ja1iv4e wrote

I’m guessing you mean like downtown, south side, and the strip areas. There are quite a few right outside of those. dormont, waterfront, McKnight road. Don’t know if those count but yeah that would be nice if there was one on like forbes or something

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daninhim t1_ja2ta3a wrote

Y’inz…we got two of them across the street from each other on McKnight Road. You’re welcome to have the southbound one. Actually take the northbound one as well, along with the Bob Evans. But don’t touch the Arby’s.

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orangevega t1_ja2u235 wrote

and if anyone goes near the Denny's I will slash their tires

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daninhim t1_ja507sj wrote

Wait...so...to be clear...we should NOT be eating at Denny's? Got it.

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orangevega t1_ja587pr wrote

no, I'm saying leave it alone to exist and be perfect and serve you eggs

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beefbarley t1_ja1i3lr wrote

Does the waterfront not count?

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allegedlydm t1_ja2mci2 wrote

Well, that’s not in the city, it’s in Homestead.

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Raisedkaine t1_ja2maf5 wrote

Technically not city limits. The Waterfront is Homestead.

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Shank_ OP t1_ja1jvk0 wrote

Nah shit takes like 20 mins to get to from shadyside

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ballsonthewall t1_ja1vhio wrote

Are you going the right way? Should be able to shoot up over Shady to Murray to Beechwood and be across the Homestead Bridge in like 15 or less

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frenchfriessalad t1_ja3gd5i wrote

Exactly! Shit it takes less time to get from Shadyside to the Waterfront, than say Shadyside to South Side.

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thatdude778 t1_ja1wcp9 wrote

It will still take around 15 min, but the drive to the Waterworks location isn't bad from Shadyside. Washington Blvd. > Highland Park Bridge > Freeport Rd.

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inimeg68 t1_ja1qntl wrote

Waterworks Mall, Freeport Rd. is the City of Pittsburgh.

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AngryDrnkBureaucrat t1_ja3l22s wrote

There are TWO Eat n Parks in the city.

With a third that is 500 feet away from the City border.

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LancyLeven t1_ja1nqh1 wrote

Idk but let’s keep it that way

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jangoblamba t1_ja2zk6w wrote

Idk why this is such a problem. There's two eat n parks almost in the city, close enough that they're not hassles to get to. And it's an Eat 'n Park. As someone who worked there for a few years, I can truthfully tell you that the city would lose nothing if those two locations closed down. It offers nothing special anymore. Not open 24/7, McDonald's burgers that take longer to get, and a sub par diner menu that can be bested by most small pubs in terms of quality. Their baked goods are frozen and baked on site, and their homemade soup is concentrate bags they add water to on site. The only thing they have going for them is the breakfast buffet on the weekends, but I can't imagine that makes it entirely worth it

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Wide-Concert-7820 t1_ja3g236 wrote

I will be sending the check to you for copyright use. Spot on and I will use your words the next time i get into this subject. Well done!

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embrex104 t1_ja3inel wrote

I think Eat N' Park put Hello Bistros in that place instead of EnP's.

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Paczilla2 t1_ja31de7 wrote

Well, the food is just… ok. It has stayed consistently ok or just not good for a while.

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JAK3CAL t1_ja35z9y wrote

There’s at least one on 51

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Bright-Reputation t1_ja1glax wrote

I have no clue, but I’d love an eat n park in the city!

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HarpPgh t1_ja1tesa wrote

Waterfront. Unfortunately, Squirrel Hill closed

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TacoBean19 t1_ja4j9w7 wrote

There’s one on crane avenue in banksville

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NunzAndRoses t1_ja4yt0l wrote

There’s one on Banksville and one in Dormont

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Confident_End_3848 t1_ja280fu wrote

A long time ago, there was an eatnpark on Washington Blvd. Haven’t been that way in years, but I guess it closed.

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CL-MotoTech t1_ja3r4ll wrote

I went to the one on 65 the other day. I took my son. The stickies thread made me interested since I hadn't been there since the mid 00's.

It exactly as bland and average as I remember it being. My son loved it though. It does have a certain charm, though maybe I am just being a romantic.

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drunkenviking t1_ja3tlh6 wrote

Which one on 65? There's one in Edgeworth and one in Bellvue.

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CL-MotoTech t1_ja42jh8 wrote

Bellvue. I'm in observatory hill so it's a quick trip.

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Shoehornblower t1_ja3s5uf wrote

People from other places have moved in and brought their high falutin taste buds?

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Aggravating_Foot_528 t1_ja4n3jm wrote

TBH the food ain't great. Though besides the hardcore old people who go it's the people who went at night who didn't care that much what the food tasted like.

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Itsjustataco t1_ja4qnhp wrote

Consumer preference and demographics are the driving forces.

Fast casual meals are often coming in at the same price point and generally of better quality. Most dinners aren't interested in sitting down for an hour + meal that is generally not on par with the fast casual alternatives.

Inside the city, there is a whole host of options to complete with ENP, specialty brunch spots weren't a thing 20yrs ago. ENP realized fast casual/changing consumer preference and targeted these crowds by way of SixPenn(RIP), The Porch, Hello Bistro.

Denny's, ENP, King's, Bob Evans are all dinosaurs that aren't bringing in business when there is an abundance of competition. Years ago, their competition was probably dinners, but most dinners have closed up in favor of these newer age alternatives. If you look around the city, there just aren't many sit down restaurant chains.

So, outside the city, life moves a bit slower, considerably less competition from the brunch & mimosa, more families on family budgets, etc.

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2TH16 t1_ja5wwca wrote

Eat N’ Park was better with a cigarette indoors

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Hmgeisler t1_ja1q1ay wrote

I thought this was set up to a punchline. “I don’t know. Why?”

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Yomama-22 t1_ja47yzo wrote

Amish donut food truck.

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OrangeDelicious4154 t1_ja4uaa3 wrote

Demographic shifts in the city due to a variety of factors (not the least of which is rising rents) has pushed out those who typically frequent lower cost restaurants like Eat'n Park - families. The COVID-19 Pandemic also radically changed food service. Less places are open late, and the industry is still suffering staffing shortages. The chain is still alive and well in the suburbs as far as I can tell.

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CVK327 t1_ja5adv6 wrote

A lot of major chains don't operate in the city. Eat'n Park, Sheetz, GetGo, Walmart, just to name a few. It's difficult to maintain a business and keep profit margins high in the city, especially one as tightly packed as Pittsburgh. It's obviously doable, but it's a completely different game than running a business in the suburbs. If they start doing city work, they have to change the way they do things for those branches. It's much easier to just plug and play the same processes in the suburbs. They could probably open ten more Eat'n Parks in surrounding areas more easily than they could open one on the city.

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bholzy t1_ja63k7w wrote

I know I’m probably gonna get downvoted, but I wouldn’t even waste my time or money to go there anymore. Subpar food and a constantly shrinking menu

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LgnHw t1_ja3qn1p wrote

there’s much better food options that exist

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Aggrocity t1_ja4ebim wrote

The city folk understand that Eat n Park is below average!

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stadulevich t1_ja2440z wrote

My late night go to's are dive bar with a kitchen til 10pm and alegheny wine mixer with a limited but good kitchen open til midnigh or 2am.

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redurbandream t1_ja2sxz9 wrote

There’s an Eat n Park right off the T in Dormont at the Patomic station

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bbcbravado t1_ja3mgwn wrote

Because they have no variety of food, we got one in north Versailles tho

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NineFootEightWeight t1_ja1t6ra wrote

Billy left his home with a dollar in his pocket and a head full of dreams.

He said somehow, some way, it's gotta get better than this.

Patti packed her bags, left a note for her mama, she was just seventeen.

There were tears in her eyes when she kissed her little sister goodbye.

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lasagnasmash t1_ja3fcah wrote

Because it sucks. /s

Because it sucks. /srs

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JellyProof2104 t1_ja1xnkw wrote

Because the health department exists?

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