Eat’n Park is opening Pittsburgh’s first LEED-built restaurant in the Waterworks shopping plaza in Fox Chapel. The location is the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold–designed Eat’n Park restaurant and is part of the company’s ongoing effort to implement sustainable practices.

The new Eat’n Park location is more energy efficient and houses the state’s first wind turbine system for a restaurant, attached to the restaurant to generate clean wind energy. The location features many innovative elements that help contribute to its LEED Gold–designed status, including: a wind turbine that will generate 2,000 kwh of clean energy per year; specially designed skylights that amplify natural light; 12-watt LED lighting throughout the restaurant; Energy Star–rated kitchen equipment; barrels to harvest natural rainwater and drought tolerant landscaping that requires less water; environmentally friendly and recycled construction materials; elements to encourage energy efficient transportation, including bike racks, special parking spots for green cars and carpoolers, and direct access to public transportation; and more, including energy and environmental innovations in the kitchen.

The Fox Chapel location features outdoor seating and the company’s newest feature, a drive-up pickup window, to make takeout easy and convenient.

Eat’n Park has been taking systematic steps to have a more positive impact on the environment through its EcoSteps program, including purchasing locally grown produce with its FarmSource program, purchasing rBST-free dairy products, reducing waste by eliminating paper towels and placemats, recycling used fryer oil into bio-fuel, and utilizing more energy-efficient light bulbs, among other initiatives.