INGOOD TASTE
Yellow Jacket Café—
Authentic American Diner-Style Fare
Yellow Jacket Café
2170 Rice Avenue, Lake City, PA 16423
814.774.4338
HOURS: Tuesday-Sunday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hungry folks need travel no further than Main
Street in Lake City to find authentic American
diner-style food and service. The Yellow Jacket
Café, owned by Pat Rodgers of Alto Cucina, and
managed by Sherry Casner of East Springfield,
has become a popular gathering spot for
hungry patrons seeking comfort food in casual
surroundings.
“This is a fishing, camping and kayaking area, and
patrons from all walks of life and from all over stop
in regularly,” says Casner. “They come to share their
best-catch fishing stories, laugh about their most
recent camping disaster and get weather and lake
condition updates.”
Casner has a long history with the diner dating
back to the ‘60s, when it was McCarty’s Drug
Store. “I remember as a kid we rode the bus here
after roller skating in Erie to slurp up cherry Cokes
before we went home,” she says.
True to its diner reputation, the Yellow Jacket Café
offers a wide selection of lunch comfort food—
burgers, fries, grilled cheese, and, of course, the
classic diner Reuben loaded with sauerkraut and
Thousand Island dressing. And because original
diners were based around a large open grill, you’ll
find lots of grilled food choices on the menu.
Short-order cook Jim Kayler grills up hash browns and banana pecan paddycakes for hungry patrons at the Yellow Jacket
Café in Lake City.
Breakfast is available all day with such hearty
choices as scrapple, Irish plaid corned beef hash
with roasted red beets, or “paddycakes” stacked
high with banana pecans or chocolate chips and
smothered with maple syrup. Patrons ordering
Chicken or the Egg hash can count on asparagus
and plum tomatoes slow roasted to complement
the chicken. And where else but an authentic
American diner like this could you possible find a
Reuben omelet?
“A steady favorite is our Tree Hugger that combines
peppers, onions, asparagus, spinach and braised red
cabbage into a mouth-watering fare. These specialty
hashes are tossed with home fries and topped with
eggs,” says Casner.
Patrons who prefer counter service can relax on the
original vinyl bar stools and enjoy their coffee from
ceramic mugs set on the Formica countertop. This
is the best view of the open grill and short-order
cook Jim Kayler as he loads his sizzling griddle
with a mountain of hash, scrambled eggs, peppers
and malted buttermilk pancakes. Behind all this is
a pile of savory home fries laced with caramelized
onions.
The Yellow Jacket Café décor is decidedly diner-
Americana. Named for the Girard High School
mascot and painted in red and gold, the school
colors, the Yellow Jacket Café walls display
memorabilia from local history and businesses.
A green Quaker State sign announcing it as “The
intelligent oil,” a white Zurn metal plaque that says
“Cast metals operations office,” a Copes Vulcan
panel promising “the highest quality of product
and service to our customers,” and photos of
the 1948 football team are reminders of the rich
history of this area.
Customers at the Yellow Jacket Café in Lake City can opt for an
American diner counter service with a full view of the open griddle.
10
724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE
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Casner welcomes all to come in and sit in her cozy
diner where you’ll receive a warm, neighborly
welcome, quick service, friendly people and hearty
fare. n