Tarentum's Hometown Restaurant closed, victim of pandemic restrictions

After over 25 years in business, Tarentum’s Hometown Restaurant has closed.

Rebecca 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.”

If not for the covid-19 pandemic, she said, she’d still be running the restaurant.

When restaurants began reopening with covid-19 restrictions and limited capacity, Coy said she was eager to invite patrons back.

But she didn’t get much business and soon realized it wasn’t feasible to operate the restaurant under such conditions. Plus, she said, it was time for her to spend more time at home, caring for her husband and enjoying her grandchildren’s company.

Kevin Bertocki, who owns the building, said the covid-19 restrictions have made it nearly impossible for restaurants to survive.

“To operate on 25% occupancy is pretty hard,” he said. “If I took 75% of your pay away, could you survive? It takes more than that to pay the bills.”

Though Coy said she’ll miss working at the restaurant, she’s grateful for the fond memories.

“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.

“The people in town appreciated me, and I appreciated them.”

When the restaurant originally opened, Coy said, it donned a red, white, and blue theme. The restaurant’s themes changed over the years — with a farm theme most recently — but the friendly service and homemade food were steady staples.

Coy expressed gratitude for the people who visited her restaurant, her workers, and other small businesses who offered their support.

“I’m going to miss it, but I’m looking forward to what the future has laid out for me,” Coy said. “It’s going to be good. I’m going to enjoy my family and not have to worry about getting up at 4:30 in the morning to go to work.”

Bertocki said another restaurant will likely take over the space.