After over 25 years in business, Tarentum’s Hometown Restaurant has closed. A staple in Tarentum for so long, locals will miss the Hometown dearly. "Home style cooking" was a slogan at the Hometown, where locals would go to get their favorite breakfast or lunch to fill them up.
Rebecca (Beckie) Coy owned and operated Hometown Restaurant. She spent 25 years waking up at 4:30 in the morning to get to the restaurant before breakfast at 6 a.m. She made everything, from breakfast to salad dressing.
“Everything was homemade,” Coy said. “Everything was fresh, and I took pride in that. None of the recipes are written down — it’s in my head.”
Sadly, due to the pandemic, and all of the restrictions that came with it, she could no longer find it feasible to operate.
New menus had just been made just this past year, and Chinene Miller, Beckie's daughter, was excited to see where it would take them. "It's sad to see it closing after having it in the family for so long," Chinene said while putting the menus away.
"I feel like each of these plates has a story because they came from so many different places!" Chinene had said of the mismatched plates. The mismatched plates gave it more of a homey feel.
Through the little window with the bell is where you could see Beckie at the grill, multitasking french toast with omelets, or hamburgers with club sandwiches.
Though Beckie said she’ll miss working at the restaurant, she’s grateful for the fond memories with her employees and loyal customers.
“I always said the first time you came in, you were a guest. The second time you came in, you were part of my family,” she said. “We learned first names. It was just a very friendly atmosphere."
Even though she is sad about having to give up her restaurant, she is not very upset about not having to get up at 4:30! Plus, she is happy to be able to spend more time with her husband of 45 years and spending time with her kids and grandchildren.
So we say goodbye to the Hometown Restaurant after 25 years of serving the Tarentum community with home made breakfast and lunch comfort food.