The owner of the Lawrence Park Dinor says the historic restaurant is no longer for sale.
In March 2026, Dawn Van Scoter, owner of the Lawrence Park Dinor at 4019 Main St., listed the Dinor for more than $280,000. She has owned the Dinor since February 2022 and ran it alongside Toast! Lounge and Eatery at 10651 W. Main St. in North East.
Initially, Van Scoter said she had plans for the business in North East and that putting the Dinor up for sale was not an easy decision. After receiving several offers that she was not satisfied with, Van Scoter took the Dinor off the market while closing the North East restaurant.
“It wasn’t the right time to sell the Dinor,” Van Scoter said. “My heart really belongs at the Dinor and the Lawrence Park community. Opening Toast was supposed to be a creative outlet for me. Walking away, I learned a lot of lessons. It’s different when you buy a restaurant versus building and starting a restaurant.”
Van Scoter said it has always been her goal to renovate the Dinor while adding her own touch to it. After being closed for a couple of weeks in October, the Dinor will reopen Nov. 4 with a new interior, new hours and some new menu items.
Here’s more on what Van Scoter has planned for the historic Lawrence Park Dinor.
Lawrence Park Dinor expands
The biggest change coming to the Lawrence Park Dinor is its expansion into the former My Daddy’s Barber Shop next door to the Dinor at 4013 Main St.
Since acquiring the Dinor, Van Scoter has wanted the barbershop space for her expansion plans.
“Three years ago, I asked (barbershop owner) Tom (Ferriman) if I could buy it, but he wasn’t ready to retire yet,” Van Scoter said. “I kind of gave up on it, but years later they were ready and I found some funds and now it’s mine. I’m thankful because that was my original plan when I purchased the Dinor.”
She also wanted the space for its parking lot.
“The greatest thing about it is that we get the parking lot,” Van Scoter said. “With them we had an understanding that Dinor guests could use the lot, but I was afraid that if someone else purchased it I would lose the parking. Having that space is important to me.”
Van Scoter is still in the planning stages for the barbershop space but did say that the business will be called Spark Line.
“Spark Line is when you pull the brakes on a train and it makes the sparks on the line,” Van Scoter said. “It will be a place to slow down and that’s the only hint you will get for now. That building will take some doing and we’re excited about it.”
She hopes to have the new business open by January or February 2027.
Van Scoter also owns a cottage located behind the Dinor that she plans to turn into an Airbnb.
Lawrence Park Dinor gets new interior
When visitors and regulars walk through the doors of the historic Lawrence Park Dinor, they’ll see a dramatically different interior.
Van Scoter has been at work since early October giving the restaurant an interior makeover designed to resemble an old train car.
“One of the biggest things that we get when people come in who have never been here before, they assume it’s an old train car,” Van Scoter said. “I go through the whole history of the Dinor, that it’s a Silk City Diner from Paterson, New Jersey. I wanted to lean into that and have you think you are walking into a 1948 train car traveling through Erie.”
With the updated look, the Dinor has new lighting, paint, flooring, kitchen equipment and adjustable tables.
The Dinor also now has insulation to keep the interior warmer during the winter, addressing a common complaint Van Scoter said she hears from customers.
“I found a lot of memorabilia in the basement which will help me pay homage to the Dinor in a lot of ways,” Van Scoter said. “I found photos and news articles which will be framed and added to our ledge.”
Changes to the menu and hours
In the past, the Lawrence Park Dinor served only breakfast and lunch, including classics featuring Greek sauce. Starting Nov. 4, Van Scoter is adding dinner items to the menu.
Those dinner items include a comfort food menu, according to Van Scoter. Customers will soon be able to order pork chops, homemade meatloaf and mashed potatoes and some Italian-inspired dishes.
Van Scoter did not confirm what drinks could be added to the menu, saying more details are to come.
The Dinor will also have expanded hours.
The Lawrence Park Dinor will operate Tuesday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday for breakfast only from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
