Sarah Perris
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“Big” Joe Eoli had never been in the restaurant business before acquiring the Starrsville property after selling Big’s Sanitation in September.
Formerly Driscoll & Sons Cafe at 2101 Douglas Run Road, Eori changed the name to Big E’s Bar and Grill. The business reopened on March 22nd as a bar and restaurant with a diverse menu and weekly specials.
Eoli said he wanted to bring some life back to the Elizabeth Township area, so he started working with Sharon Thomas, who handles the day-to-day operations of the restaurant and creates weekly specials.
“After I sold my business in September, I entered into a business venture in town to buy real estate to keep me busy,” Eoli said. “(Thomas) is our operating partner in the restaurant because he has restaurant experience. We’re going to come to Elizabeth Township together and make this area of Elizabeth Township great again.”
The restaurant serves a variety of cuisines, including American cuisine. Prices range from $10 to $30 for burgers, sandwiches, and Italian dishes like wedding soup and chicken piccata.
Eoli says her favorites are French onion soup and chicken piccata. The restaurant also hosts taco nights and burger nights, with more planned.
“Again, we’re going to continue to expand and she’s going to continue to grow,” Eoli said. “The daily specials change all the time. The people who come here are great. They really are.
“We get a lot of people from Elizabeth Township, we get people from Starrsville. I used to go all the way to Pleasant Hills, and people come here and say it’s great.”
Thomas also creates daily specials and posts them on Big E’s Facebook page. On Sunday, we will be posting his Mother’s Day menu.
“That’s our job,” Thomas said. “Every day we have daily specials on Big E’s Bar and Grill on Facebook, and there are always specials posted if people want to share.
“Special menus are always my favorite because it’s always something different when people come. It’s a special job.”
Not only is Big E’s family- and kid-friendly, but it’s also pet-friendly.
Thomas said many people found the restaurant through BringFido, a website that lists restaurants that allow dogs. Someone posted a photo of their dish and people started flocking to it.
Thomas said there will be puppy cups with whipped cream, rice and chicken, dog meatballs and peanut butter and banana cups.
“We want people to feel like they can bring their baseball team, any sports team, any pet, or even want to have a birthday party at the pavilion,” Thomas said. he said. “We have fresh dog bowls here. If you need anything for your pet, we’ll get it for you. We also have a children’s menu. We strive to provide entertainment. I would like to.”
Properties owned by Eori include Big E’s, an old ice cream shop named Big Twist, and a gas station across the street. Thomas said this is “Big’s Corner” and Big Twist will reopen on Monday after being closed for years.
Eoli and Thomas said the restaurant has been renovated with all new televisions, new paint and a new kitchen. They cleaned the place with the help of 16 staff members.
“We put up seclusion boards not only to separate families from the bar, but so that families don’t feel like they have to see people sitting at the bar,” Thomas said. “Our staff came in every day and helped us with the job.
“Four, five, seven, nine years ago, people were coming here to the Driscoll house and staying with us because we were a good person to take them on. Because we proved to them that we could and they stayed here. And they helped us with cleaning and everything,” Thomas said. “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here now. We’d have a hard time finding people.”
Thomas, who has known Eoli for nine years, said Eoli was a kind and caring person who was “all about helping people” and loved “growing up.” “I don’t stop at one thing.”
Ms Eoli said it was a “two-way street” as her partner Thomas “won’t sit still”.
“He believed in me and gave me something that no one else has ever given me in my life, and I completely respect him for that,” Thomas said. . “And I want everyone to know how much and what he has done to change my life and help me change my life with the opportunities he has given me. is.”
The restaurant can be reached at 724-633-0797 and can be found on Facebook, Yelp, BringFido and its website www.bigesbarandgrill.com.
A native of Elizabeth Township, Eoli hopes to serve the township in any way he can. This restaurant is one of several businesses he has planned.
“I won’t reveal anything, but there are other things I’m thinking about. We won’t stop,” Eoli said. “If we find something else to do in Elizabeth Township, we’re going to take a chance and take it. We enjoy seeing people come here and have a good time.”
Eoli added that people stop in from the nearby bike path, and Thomas said she prioritizes customers and hospitality.
“We want to try something different,” Eoli said. “As summer approaches, there’s a lot going on and growing for people on the bike path. If anything else happens in Elizabeth Township, I’m committed to making Elizabeth Township bigger.” I’m interested.
“And it’s a really great community. We’re on the edge of Elizabeth Township, we’ve got Westmoreland County across the street, we’re right next to the bike path, so we have a lot of different activities and venues here.” Some people say we’re not for kids. That’s not true. We want everyone here to be happy.”
