Collier Eat'n Park demolished, set to be rebuilt and reopen by end of year

When the Eat’n Park on Washington Pike in Collier reopens later this year, the renovated restaurant will have a new pickup window, a salad bar and 100 more seats.

The building was demolished Tuesday, April 2 to make way for the upgrades. West Deer-based Allison Park Contractors performed the demolition.

“We will have a new restaurant open on this site by the end of the year,” said Courtney Caprara, Eat’n Park spokeswoman.

The Collier Eat’n Park was built in 1956, Caprara said.

The building was 4,475 square feet, said Jesse Stock, Senior Director of Facilities and Design for Eat’n Park. The new building will be approximately 6,900 square feet, which equates to about 100 more seats.

“The two things our guests are most excited about are the pickup window and a salad bar,” Caprara said. “That is a feature at so many of our restaurants.

“This project had actually been on our radar for a long time, and the timing was finally right.”

Restaurant employees were offered employment at other Eat’n Park locations during the construction, Caprara said. The restaurant also will be hiring for new positions before the reopening.

“We’re looking to make these investments across our footprint to make Eat’n Park the best experience for customers,” Caprara said.

The new, bigger restaurant will be moved farther back from Washington Pike to allow for a road widening project.

According to PennDOT, the roadway widening project started in November 2022 and, in total, costs about $5.6 million. The project will have a left turning lane at the Washington Pike and Vanadium Road intersection and will remove the existing dual driveways at Eat’n Park.

Other plans at the intersection include new sidewalks, updated curb ramps, upgrades to the traffic light, signing and pavement markings, guardrail work and other construction. The project aims to alleviate traffic congestion, according to PennDOT.