Plans for Heisler’s restaurant advance in Peters Township
Owners Ed Heisler and his son, Ed Heisler Jr., are shown in the middle of Heisler’s Market. They plan to open a restaurant next to their market on East McMurray Road.
The exterior of Heisler’s Market in McMurray. Owners Ed Heisler Sr. and Ed Heisler Jr. are planning on opening a small cafe next to the market.
McMURRAY – Peters Township Council on Monday approved a liquor license transfer from Union Township to Heisler’s Market in Peters, a move that will allow its owners to soon sell beer – and perhaps wine one day – at a planned restaurant the owners hope to open next to their existing market in the McMurray Town Center on East McMurray Road.
Mark Kozar, a Pittsburgh attorney who represents the market’s owners, Ed Heisler Sr. and Ed Heisler Jr., said the family-friendly cafe would be on the left side of the building and, for the most part, be separate from the existing market. Beer could be consumed at the restaurant, or sold to go with a limit of two six-packs, he said.
The Heislers, fourth-generation grocery owners, said they want to add a restaurant that seats 30 inside the existing building and a patio in what was a bank drive-through window. The patio would seat an additional 46 people, said the Heislers, who bought the business – the former McMurray Dairy Bar and Market – last year from the Duckworth family.
Heisler Jr. said the planned cafe will have a set menu of salad and entree options for diners. Freshly prepared food from the store will be allowed in the restaurant as well.
“We have a great chef,” said Heisler Jr., when asked why they decided to add a cafe. “He brings a lot of great things to the business.”
There will be a separate entrance for the restaurant, which will be interconnected to the market. The cafe will be nonsmoking and beer sold there will not be allowed in the market, Kozar said.
Peters officials still need to sign off on a building plan. But, if things go smoothly, the restaurant could be open during the first quarter of 2016, the Heislers said.