Business & Tech
New Mediterranean Restaurant Coming to McDowell Shops
Cedars is scheduled to open in Peters Township mid- to late-August.
A new restaurant is opening its doors to residents soon. Cedars, in McDowell Shops off Route 19, will serve up Mediterranean cuisine.
The restaurant sits at the opposite back corner of next to McMurray Art League. Owners Antoine and Reine Hajj said this family establishment is going to be “something everybody can afford.”
The husband and wife team, who reside in Washington, PA, anticipate the opening to be in mid- to late-August. Antoine said they plan to invite the community for a free tasting of all the staples—grape leaves, hummus, Kabouli, Falafel, just to name a few.
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“We’re going to have specials,” he said. “Locals can stop in for a gyro sandwich, fries and a soda for maybe less the price of Burger King or McDonald’s. They can afford to come.”
Antoine also said everything will be prepared daily at the best quality.
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“It’s like fresh coffee—you have to brew it and serve it right away,” he said.
A former pizza shop owner in New York, Antoine said he is ready to be at the restaurant every day working.
"I know what it takes," he said.
Before moving south of Pittsburgh, he and his family moved to West Virginia where he was a supervisor at Wheeling Island Casino. He then took a job at the Meadows Casino and, soon after, realized he wanted own his own business again.
The name Cedars, he said, comes from the Cedar of Lebanon trees, which hits close to home for many—Mt. Lebanon’s name was taken from a particular mountain in a region of the Ottoman Empire, known today as the Republic of Lebanon, according to mtlebanon.org.
The name has been in official use since 1855, five years after the Rev. Joseph Clokey brought back two Cedar of Lebanon trees from a trip to the Near East and planted them in front of his home off Bower Hill Road.
Antoine said he’s currently looking to hire cashiers and cooks. If interested, call 315-796-6166.
Stay tuned to Patch for Cedars grand opening date.
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