McGarrey's Oakwood Cafe and Colony Pizza Expand Eastward
Two long-standing Erie favorites join forces
Last summer, my sons and I went on an Erie County pizza tour. Guided by my 12-year-old's rubric, we ranked each pie in four categories on a 10-point scale: pepperoni, cheese, sauce, and crust. Folks are pretty passionate about pizza, so I won't start a social media war by sharing our very scientific results, but Colony Pizza & Catering, which opened a few years ago in the Colony Plaza, ranked very high. Needless to say, if we're headed to Waldameer Park or Presque Isle, there's a good chance we're swinging by Colony Pizza to snag some of their famous slices.
In my mind, pizza is one of the ultimate comfort foods. As Jandy Nelson so eloquently put it in her 2014 book I'll Give You the Sun, "Even when I'm in the middle of eating pizza, I wish I were eating pizza." There are other foods that make one feel that way too, like a warm hug: those delicious home-cooked meals from your childhood. There's a reason why McGarrey's Oakwood Cafe, located at 1624 W. 38th St., has been an Erie staple for decades. As Erie Times-News reporter Kevin Cuneo wrote in 2013, eating their "comfort food dishes" is like "going home to Mom." Their Reubens, specialty sandwiches, and hot dinners are as legendary as their friendly atmosphere.
It should come as no surprise then that social media had an intensely positive reaction when it was announced that the owners of Colony Pizza and McGarrey's Oakwood Cafe were teaming up for a new venture on the east side of town: Oakwood Pizzeria. "Two Erie staples are joining forces! Two brands. One kitchen," their announcement read.
"It's been overwhelming in a good way," Colony Pizza owner Eric Broffman says of the response. Opening a new location had been on his mind for quite some time.
"[Eric] had requests to move east, as did I over the years – a lot of people for both of us," explains Oakwood owner Shane McGarrey. "And one night, we got to talking about it."
The two are longtime friends who frequent each other's establishments. As they are both in the restaurant industry, they also often talk shop. After Broffman posted a feeler on social media a few months ago about adding a second eastside location, McGarrey made his pitch.
"I brought that up to him and that's when it spawned the idea of a collaboration between our two brands," McGarrey says. "To open up a store that is all of our heavy hitters between the two of us."
The concept of Oakwood Pizzeria was born. The new location, 861 E. 38th St., is one that has seen half a dozen businesses come and go over the past decade, but it's a high traffic route with plenty of surrounding neighborhoods, as well as nearby Mercyhurst University. While many have joked on social media that the location is cursed due to the turnover, McGarrey and Broffman are approaching their new venture with thoughtfulness and significant experience.
The long-operating McGarrey's Oakwood Cafe is a family business in every sense of the term. "My dad bought it in 1978," says McGarrey. His father, Michael McGarrey, purchased The Oakwood Cafe from Michael P. Sontheimer, who himself had purchased it in 1971 from Bob and Frank Kupper when it was named Kupper's Tavern (which Frank had built in 1956). After some renovations, Michael reopened the restaurant offering up classics like Lake Erie perch, tuna noodle casserole, and roast pork. As reporter Kevin Cuneo reflected years later in the Erie Times-News, Michael was under "enormous pressure … not to screw it up." He did the opposite. By 1990, according to old Times articles, sales had tripled and Michael had expanded the family-run business to 25 employees.
When Michael died in 2011, Shane was living in Pittsburgh. "I obviously grew up in Erie, worked in Erie all through grade school, high school, and college," he explains. "Then I moved to Pittsburgh, where my brother also currently resides, and then when [my father] passed, I moved home to take it over."
There was an outpouring of grief over his father's death, a man as legendary as his restaurant's Reubens. The Erie Times-News eulogized Michael by noting his popularity with patrons and how he "made many friends for the restaurant." In a letter to the editor, a former employee described him as "the best boss and best person" and a "humanitarian" who always trusted and respected his employees. As anybody who owns or works in a restaurant knows, special bonds are often formed – including with the regular patrons.
"A lot of people, I mean, you see them five, six times a week, more than you see your own family sometimes," says McGarrey.
"Everybody knows everybody," Michael's brother, Kevin, told the Erie Times-News in 2014. The article emphasized that "family and fellowship" were simply part of Oakwood's DNA.
McGarrey and Broffman describe the new venue as "fast casual" and they hope to carry over some of the cafe's beloved atmosphere.
"It's pretty much the same vibes. I would call it a scaled-down version, but very, very similar," explains McGarrey. It won't have as much seating as the West 38th location, but will still be able to seat around 70 patrons. Honoring both of their Pittsburgh connections, there will also be plenty of Steelers black and gold.
McGarrey's Oakwood Cafe has been a staple in Erie's food scene for generations, serving up comfort food favorites like their famous Reuben. They've now expanded to the east in partnership with the Colony to open up Oakwood Pizzeria located at 861 E. 38th St.
As the duo point out, their sub and salad menus already share some similarities, but each will bring their own unique offerings to the Oakwood Pizzeria too.
"I'll be bringing the Reuben, the Reuben pizza, chicken biscuits, our soups, some of the hot dinners – meatloaf sandwiches, hot pot roast, all that stuff," says McGarrey. "[Eric's] bringing his pizzas and wings and calzones."
Broffman is already very well-known for his pizza slinging skills. Born in New Jersey and raised in Pittsburgh, Broffman was already working in food service for a stint in Erie when he opened up his first pizza joint here in 1992: Drew's Pizza at East Fourth and German streets.
"That was my first pizzeria in Erie," says Broffman. "That was the first place when I was actually working for myself."
Since then, as described by the Erie Times-News in 2003, Broffman became "something of a cult figure in local pizza lore." Many of his original Drew's Pizza customers followed him wherever he went. If you have mouthwatering memories of T & E's Pizza, Eric B's Pizza, or Slices on French, they all have one thing in common besides pizza: Eric Broffman. Then there was Steel City Pizza and Sandwich Company, described when they opened as "Pittsburgh food without the drive" (and, as reporter Floyd Lawrence quipped in 2008, still worth visiting even if you're a Cleveland Browns or Buffalo Bills fan and "your blood boils at the sight of black and gold").
After that, of course, Broffman opened his current Colony Pizza & Catering near Presque Isle where he's been serving up his brick oven pies and slices over the past few years. His oldest daughter, who previously served at the Colony Plaza location, is the new venue's assistant general manager.
Are there any new challenges the two have faced during this collaboration?
"Oh, [Eric's] a nightmare, man," McGarrey jokes and they both laugh. "No, I mean, like I said, we've known each other for a long time and he knew my father very well. He knew my uncle very well. We both know each other's businesses very well. … Eric comes in every Friday night. We have a pretty good idea of what we were both getting into, right?"
One of the most exciting parts: the pizza-by-the-slice drive-thru. This is a rare offering from non-chain restaurants.
"We're going to start [the drive-thru] off on Friday and Saturday nights (9 p.m. through 1 a.m.), just to get the hang of it," says McGarrey. "Then we'd like to eventually have it possibly full-time – or at least during lunch as well."
Also, despite some rumors circulating on social media, Oakwood Pizzeria is not replacing the other restaurants.
"Our other two restaurants aren't going anywhere," McGarrey stresses. "Those are our workhorses. This is just a new venture. The old places are what made the new place possible."
As I live only a few short minutes away, my boys and I hope to be ranking the pizzas and Reubens there for years to come.
Jonathan Burdick runs the public history project Rust & Dirt. He can be reached at jburdick@eriereader.com
