Crouse’s Cafe in Kittanning will close December 15, 2018. It will reopen as Crystal’s Cafe on January 2, 2019.
A local Kittanning Borough woman will soon be the next owner of a local restaurant.
Crystal Ferraino will be taking over Crouse’s Restaurant located next to Fox’s Pizza in Kittanning at the beginning of the year.
“John (Crouse) was deciding to close, and asked me if I wanted it, so I thought I would give it a try. I have been waitressing for 34 years. This will be my first ownership,” Crystal said.
She currently is learning the paperwork involved in owning a business. She plans to begin with seven employees, but hopes to be able to expand that number.
“When it’s new, everybody comes, but then it slacks off. We don’t want to overload it with staff.”
Crystal said pricing will be similar to the menu now, but there will be additional variety of items.
“We’re going to add some things and have more options. In addition to fried foods, we will offer healthier choices as well. We will have more salads, fresh ingredients, and less processed food. On Sundays, we will have specials such as stuffed chicken breast, my Mom’s meatloaf recipe, stuffed pork chop and even roast our own turkey. ”
She said that although the hours will be the same – 7:00 AM until 2:30 PM, she plans to be open seven days a week.
Crystal Ferraino has worked in restaurants for many years. She now will be the owner of one as the new year begins.
“We plan to schedule banquets and holiday/birthday parties in the evenings. Since we are only open to the public until 2:30, we have the option to do special events in the evenings.”
Crystal will be the third owner of the restaurant in this location. The restaurant has been under the current ownership for the last two years. Crystal said that even if customer count remains the same, the restaurant is still able to operate.
“We wanted to keep (the restaurant) here. We didn’t want it closed, and then everybody had to go out looking for jobs. There will be a lot of the same staff and people that everyone knows. So there is not a lot of changes out front. It’s going to look different. We are going to remodel, do some painting, and do some changes.”
Crystal said she will enter into a five-year lease for the space and plans to serve the public the best meals in the area during that time.
The restaurant will close on December 15, 2018 and reopen on January 2, 2019 under the new ownership.