about us

On June 5, 1949, Eat'n Park opens with a revolutionary concept: “Come as you are, eat in your car.” Under the leadership of Larry Hatch, an executive of the Isaly Company of that era, a tiny, two-tone yellow, 13-seat restaurant arrives in Pittsburgh's suburban South Hills. At 2:00 p.m., 10 bustling carhops set out to serve customers right in their cars. And what a revolution it is. The restaurant is so busy that it causes an enormous traffic jam on Saw Mill Run Boulevard and has to close to regroup a scant six hours after it opened. Eat'n Park, the area's first carhop restaurant, is a smash hit.

In the words of Bill Moore, grandson of our founder, Larry Hatch:

“I take great pride in my family’s history with Eat'n Park, but one of the greatest contributions my family has given Eat'n Park is the Strawberry Pie. My mother came up with the recipe in our kitchen at home. My father, Bob Moore, tested many types of strawberry glazes that were, in his words, "god-awful." He came home and asked my mom, Claire, if she could do better, and boy, did she ever! She made several pies and submitted them to our neighbors in Scott Township. When the comments came back - “too sweet,” “too tart,” etc., Mom hung in there to perfect the recipe. After quite a few rounds and many taste tests later, the neighbors finally all agreed that she had produced a delicious pie. I guess our guests agree, too. It’s become a favorite of so many people.

A little known fact about our Strawberry Pie is that Eat'n Park was one of the first places ever to receive fresh strawberries (or any other produce for that matter) by air freight. In 1962, Eat'n Park served fresh Strawberry Pie throughout the winter, with strawberries shipped from Plant City, Florida. At the time, this was unheard of.”

Though we’d continue to offer carhop service for another 16 years, this marks the beginning of Eat’n Park as you know us today. 

Our carhop service will always have a special place in our hearts, but as we adapt to changing trends, we turn to dine-in service.

We love kids! Our kids’ menu is our first step into our evolution to the family-friendly restaurant our guests know and love. Fred Rogers was a trusted partner in our evolution to a family restaurant, helping us to design that first kids’ menu.

After our partnership with Bob’s Big Boy ends and Big Boy burgers are no longer featured on the menu, Eat’n Park launches our own take on the Big Boy known as the Superburger, a double-decker nestled with bread, with American cheese, shredded lettuce, and Sauce Supreme.

Like everything else at Eat’n Park, our famous Soup & Salad Bar has evolved over the years, and now includes not only our fresh salad toppings, delectable soups, and fresh-baked breads, but also hand-cut fruit and locally-sourced vegetables in season.

Now known as our Caring for Kids campaign, this annual fundraiser continues to this day. To date, we’ve raised more than $12 million companywide for local children’s hospitals with the help of our team members, guests, and partners.

In the Merry Berry Month of May! The catchy jingle celebrates all the strawberry menu items that appear on our menu every spring. Watch the iconic commercial here.

How did this classic commercial come to be? In 1982, Eat’n Park was just beginning to blossom into the family restaurant chain that 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.

An ageless favorite was born.  The idea of the relationship between the tree and the star illustrates a timeless holiday lesson – by helping another, you’re helping yourself, and you’re making the world a better place.

To this day, we bake our pies, breads, cookies, and more in-house, but it's another year that our most famous bakery product – the Smiley Cookie – comes into existence.

Smiley gets his start as a humble cookie in our first bakery in 1986, but he soon realizes his destiny as the official icon of Eat’n Park, the Place for Smiles. Now, millions of Smiley Cookies are enjoyed by our guests every year, and Smiley himself spreads the love at more than 250 community events annually. And that’s just the way the cookie crumbles!

It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s a hot air balloon in the shape of a Smiley Cookie! Flying the friendly skies took on a whole new meaning when we launch our Smiley Cookie hot air balloon. 

The introduction of our FarmSource program in 2002 pioneers the creation of the infrastructure needed to get local products into the hands of our suppliers and onto the plates of our guests.

Our first Cookie Cruiser is an antique 1974 DIVCO Milk truck – because what goes better with cookies than milk? The Cookie Cruiser and its operators, Team Smiley, visit local neighborhood events with a sweet treat for all those in attendance. 

While we have since retired the original Cookie Cruiser and have introduced updates through the years, the program has only expanded since its inception. Team Smiley and the Cookie Cruiser give out more than 120,000 Smiley Cookies annually and will visit over 75 events.

SmileyCookie.com makes it easy for you to share a smile with anyone, anywhere, for any occasion. You can even order customized cookies to match wedding colors, sport teams, and more, and have our Smiley Cookies delivered fresh nearly anywhere to as many addresses as you choose! Though they travel cross-country, all of our cookies are still baked fresh and hand-iced in our bakery in Pittsburgh, PA. 

A year before smoke-free restaurant legislation passes, Eat’n Park decides to make all restaurants smoke-free environments for the health of our guests and team members. It’s just another way the restaurant has always been ahead of the curve when anticipating dining and industry trends.

Eat’n Park takeout reaches all the way back to our roots.  With the addition of our first Pickup Window, we make it even more convenient for our busy guests to pick up a made-to-order meal on their way home. The response to this new feature is outstanding, and we’ve since added Pickup Windows to nearly 50 additional locations.

Designed to reduce energy consumption and overall impact on the environment, LEED-certified buildings often have unique (and sometimes not-so-obvious) features that contribute to the structure’s energy-efficiency. The Waterworks Eat’n Park is no exception. It's packed, inside and out, with features that reduce its environmental impact. Some, like the 40-foot wind turbine that will generate some of the restaurant’s power, will be obvious as soon as you pull into the parking lot. Others, like our induction stovetops, aren’t visible to most visitors. 

Presented by The National Restaurant Association, Eat’n Park Hospitality Group is awarded the 2011 Restaurant Neighbor Award. The award celebrates outstanding service efforts that restaurateurs perform in their respective communities. We are selected because our team members have poured their hearts into Caring for Kids, our campaign to raise money for local children’s hospitals. Since 1979, the campaign has raised over $12 million for sick children and their families. 

It’s important for our buildings to stay as current as our menus, which is why we make considerable investments into our facilities each year. At our Banksville location, we are able to build a completely new restaurant, right next to the old one! The new building features a spacious lobby and bakery, private dining room, a Pickup Window, and a bigger parking lot! Talk about a new building full of smiles!

Jim Broadhurst, former chairman of Eat'n Park Hospitality Group, wins the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) Gold Plate Award, one of the food service industry's most prestigious honors!

The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated leadership, achievement and innovation; have made lasting contributions to the foodservice industry, and have shown civic pride through voluntary involvement in community activities.

Available for iPhone and Android, the Eat'n Park Mobile App allows you to receive and redeem coupon offers from your mobile phone, unlock secret deals, find the nearest Eat'n Park location, view our menus, order takeout, and more. Now that's something to smile about!

Since the start of our Caring for Kids Campaign in 1979, our wonderful team members, guests, and partners have helped us to raise over $12 million for local children’s hospitals. That’s a lot of smiles!

Giving back to our community is in our DNA. As a company, we invest at least 5% of our pre-tax earnings to support nonprofit organizations. We hold our first-ever Day of Smiles, an event that gathers our team members to volunteer at 10 different community service projects throughout the city.

In addition to remaining open during the global shutdown, Eat’n Park also launches a temporary grocery program, providing guests access to milk, bread, and toiletries.

United Way was addressing unanticipated urgent issues, and one was how students were going to have access to food without school lunches and breakfasts. Brooks Broadhurst and the team at Eat'n Park were already thinking about potential solutions and approached PNC Foundation and United Way to develop a network that would deliver meals to families. Thus, the Student and Family Food Program began that engaged Eat'n Park and other foodservice providers to deliver over 1.5 million meals over the first two years of the pandemic.

As we continue to invest in our restaurants, we introduce a new and improved Butler Eat’n Park in 2021. This location features an updated spacious lobby and bakery, private dining room, and a Pickup Window!

In 1982, Jim Broadhurst, our former chairman and CEO, wants to create a video to thank the City of Pittsburgh for its support. That desire in the Eat'n Park Christmas Star, delivering a message that has been uplifting spirits ever since. The Eat'n Park Christmas Star has earned its classic status among Western Pennsylvanians as a beloved holiday tradition.

SendtheStar.com was also launched to enable visitors to spread holiday cheer by sending the Christmas Star video with a personal message to any recipient with an email address.

The restaurant is one of only four restaurants featured in the game that celebrates iconic sites and hidden treasures of the ‘Burgh. 

The Story Behind the Smile by Lynn McMahon follows the evolution of Eat'n Park, from humble beginnings as a carhop restaurant to leading hospitality group with a long and creative history of innovation.

The Bridgeville Eat’n Park is demolished after serving guests since 1956. A completely new restaurant will be rebuilt in its place with refreshed decor, a Salad Bar, and a Pickup Window!

From carhop to hospitality group, Eat’n Park has grown into a dining destination for family, friends, and of course, Smiles.