Parkhurst’s downtown Pittsburgh eatery draws street traffic

Opened in December 2015, Corner Mercantile is unlike most other dining outlets operated by Parkhurst Dining, the onsite foodservice arm of the Eat ‘n Park restaurant chain that operates primarily in the college and B&I markets.

Located at the street level of the new PNC Tower in downtown Pittsburgh, Corner Mercantile serves employees of the financial services firm who work at the location, but it is also open to walk-in customers, who now represent around 40 percent of the business, says Jim Shones, Parkhurst general manager at the location.

Corner Mercantile is separate from Parkhurst’s onsite dining operations inside the building, which include a cafeteria that is open only to the company’s employees. There is no discount or subsidy for PNC employees at Corner Mercantile.

The menu is based on fresh, especially seasonal ingredients, and is designed by Shones and Executive Chef Megan Rieger, both veterans of the Whole Foods gourmet market operation.

“We try to change aspects of what we do to keep things fresh,” Shones says. “The rotisserie is different each day while other things change less often. The salads, for example, are seasonal.”

The lunch menu typically consists of a half dozen or so sandwich selections, several soups and salads, plus an entrée combo offer that lets customers choose a protein and two sides for a set price. When FM spoke to Shones, protein choices included provencale spiced salmon (“salmon is always a favorite and we try to have it on the menu as often as possible in some form,” Shones offers), apricot glazed chicken and herb turkey, plus a vegetarian spinach/artichoke/tofu rollatini dish. Sides ranged from Mediterranean kale salad and grit cakes to two very popular options, per Shones: broccoli salad and roasted root vegetables.

Sandwiches ranged from barbecued tempeh/collard/pickled fennel (using a root beer barbecue sauce) to the very popular mushroom and herb crusted prime rib, and salads included Italian (kale, chickpeas, olives, pepperoncini and red wine vinaigrette) and fall house salad (mixed greens, dried cranberries, blue cheese, walnuts and balsamic dressing).

Hot specialty coffees featuring prominent local supplier Coffee Tree Roasters, hot tea and sweets are also available, with the latter being the only items not made on the premises. These are produced at another Parkhurst operation where there is a full bakery kitchen and skilled pastry chef.

Corner Mercantile is open for breakfast with a menu that includes selections like quiches, biscuits and gravy, breakfast sandwiches, oatmeal and bagels. “Breakfast sales are taking off,” Shones offers. “We started slow but word seems to be spreading,” though lunch remains the peak period.

Shones says is optimistic about the restaurant continuing to build business, noting that winter weather has discouraged pedestrian traffic that would otherwise flow by the establishment’s frontage, which is prominent on a busy corner. He says he will also begin to do some active marketing in the spring.

Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (5:30 on Friday) during the week. The restaurant is closed on weekends.

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]