Davis Diner offers homestyle cooking at affordable prices
Dwayne Woodruff, retired Steeler player, and his wife Joy Maxberry Woodruff, at right, decided to stop by Davis Diner for breakfast recently. They are pictured here with Sheldon Williams, Fay Williams, Paige Whitlock and Kendell Davis of Davis Diner.
Margaret Davis always dreamed of having her own restaurant. Recently, her husband, Kendell, decided to make that dream a reality by opening Davis Diner, located at 800 First St. in Canonsburg.
“It was a lifelong dream to open a restaurant because I have always enjoyed cooking for others,” said Margaret, who opened the restaurant at the end of June.
As a family-owned business, Paige Whitlock, their daughter, is the manager. Margaret works for the local school system, and Kendell has a construction business, so they help out where they can when they are not at their full-time jobs.
As the manager, Whitlock is in charge of scheduling, serving and price sheets, but also helps with bussing tables, assisting cooks or assisting wherever else she is needed.
Margaret and Kendell designed the menu with a home-cooking theme in mind.
The menu includes pancakes, French toast, sausage and gravy, cheeseburgers, sweet or hot Italian sausages, macaroni and cheese bites, fish sandwiches, grilled cheese, chicken sandwiches, Philly cheesesteak, French fries and more.
“Davis Diner is a modernized version of going home to mom’s for dinner,” said Fabyonne Williams. “The food is delicious, the facility is immaculate, and the service is amazing.”
The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. every day. They serve breakfast all day, but lunch menu items are available starting at 11 a.m.
“Our prices are great,” said Whitlock. “One of our biggest sellers is our large breakfast, which includes two pancakes, eggs, two meats, hash browns or home fries and toast for only $12.”
Though they leave the day-to-day business to Whitlock, Margaret and Kendell come in and throw down a special menu feast for the customers every other weekend.
This special menu is a unique event that customers have loved to enjoy since they opened. It includes Kendell’s honey mustard ribs and Margaret’s honey barbeque ribs. It also includes Margaret’s famous macaroni and cheese, greens, baked beans and potato salad.
Theresa Jones enjoyed the special recently and was very impressed.
“We just had our first meal here, and the food was outstanding,” said Jones. “There are nice selections on the menu, but we had the rib special, and it was fall off the bone and flavorful with the creamiest macaroni and cheese, savory greens and tangy, creamy coleslaw. There’s a welcoming family atmosphere and friendly service. We’ll definitely be back and can’t wait to try the breakfast next.”
Though there are other diners in the area, Whitlock said their restaurant has a large, comfortable seating area and is family-oriented, so it adds something other places don’t have.
“The space used to house Jake’s eatery,” said Whitlock. “The owner of the building owns the automotive shop next door. It was empty for a while, so my dad saw it was empty and said it would be a great place to open the diner for my stepmom. Canonsburg doesn’t have a lot of options for food except for fast food. It was already fully equipped and ready to go. It is really cute inside, and we didn’t have to do any renovations.”
Whitlock said business has been booming since they opened, and they were just voted one of the top five new restaurants for the Observer-Reporter.
Tracy Valentino Cook visits Davis Diner often for the French toast, which is her favorite, earning her the nickname “Ms. French Toast.” She visited recently with her sister-in-law, Apryl Snider Valentino.
“I loved the French toast,” said Valentino. “Our meal was perfect! It was my first time there, and I loved how cozy and at home it was. They have regular customers that come, sit down and are served like they are family. They know what the order will be, and that’s really knowing your customers. We enjoyed our meal with the family and will definitely visit again when we come to town.”
Davis Diner is currently a cash-only business, but they plan to accept credit/debit cards soon.
They plan to open early on Black Friday and have a sandwich special to feed people out shopping and getting ready for the holidays.
They also run weekly specials, so watch the Davis Diner Facebook page or email davisdiner800@gmail.com with any questions.