Ten pennies in the Starbucks courtesy change bowl won’t even buy a shot of espresso. But that same 10 cents will buy you a large Styrofoam cup of coffee in the hills of western Pennsylvania.
Coffee isn’t the only cheap product at Pechin’s Shopping Village in Dunbar, Penn. Thrifty shoppers from Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and western Pennsylvania travel to the small town about 20 miles southeast of Pittsburgh and make a day of their visit. Groceries are inexpensive, and a filling lunch costs less than $3. So if you live within 150 miles of Pittsburgh and are looking for a cheap and unique road trip, it’s worth the drive. You’ll have stories to tell afterwards.
Ashley Donaldson says the first time she walked into the cafeteria to eat, she was scared to death. Donaldson transferred to Penn State’s Fayette branch campus from Kent State. Her parents, who grew up in the area, introduced her to Pechin’s. Now she lives about 2 miles from Pechin’s, and when her friends come to visit, she always takes them there to eat.
“They wouldn’t believe me if I just told them about it,” she says. “I had to show them.”
“They wouldn’t believe me if I just told them about it. I had to show them.”
First-time visitors to Pechin’s may get lost because there aren’t many signs to the shopping village. After turning off the highway, once past a junkyard of cars, it looks like you’re in the wrong place. But after about a mile, the road turns left down a steep hill bordered on the right by a high black rock wall. In about seven seconds, you’ll be past the town park and through the entire town.
Turn right after passing downtown and go up the winding road to Pechin’s. The village is on the left. Dunbar is in Fayette County, a county that, in 1907, had 13 millionaires, the most per capita in the nation. The coke (a form of processed coal) and coal industry brought money to the area, but the Great Depression brought economic downturn, evidenced by Dunbar’s run-down houses and lack of business. Now, Pechin’s, instead of coal, puts Dunbar on the map, and 97-cent 2 liters of Coca-Cola, not coke, draws visitors.
There is nobody on the town sidewalks and only one or two cars driving at any time, but on a Sunday afternoon, you’ll be lucky to find a parking place in the crowded lot. Lines aren’t painted on the pot-holed blacktop, so just park next to someone else. The most popular car is a Cavalier, but don’t be surprised to see a Mercedes. Pechin’s is even a stop for the colorful Fayette County bus.
Locals shout across the lot to each other, asking about each other’s family and getting predictions for the next day’s football game. If you aren’t a Steelers fan, keep your opinions to yourself. Dunbar is a one-team town.
A red and white Coca-Cola sign greets visitors. Rickety white buildings surround the parking lot in Conestoga-wagon fashion. The House, Auto, Farm & Garden Center is identified by the same type of Coca-Cola sign.
Pechin’s is best known for its cafeteria prices. Sunday is spaghetti and meatball day. They serve stuffed steak on Saturday and meatloaf on Monday. The meals are basically standard, and most workers know what’s served on each day, variety store worker Linda Bartley says.
If it’s your first time eating at Pechin’s, expect the atmosphere of a school cafeteria, but cheaper and colder — the average winter temperature inside is about 60 degrees.
All the chairs are different, and no two tables are alike. Most of the floor is matching tile, but in some spots, tiles are either missing or different colors. The regulars don’t mind, though, bakery worker Penny Zebley says. She points to a table of overall-clad men and says, “They’ll come in here for breakfast and talk and won’t leave until after dinner.”
Pick a tray — there are many colors to choose from. Two workers ladle whatever you want onto Styrofoam plates. Add a slice of pizza from under heat lamps, a donut or burger. Go ahead — hamburgers cost only 19 cents and cheeseburgers 29 cents. Both Pepsi and Coke sodas chill side by side in fridges, but avoid the cafeteria’s coffee. Sports World manager Marian Kozar says there’s “something wrong with that coffee pot.” A coworker gets herself and Kozar coffee each morning from the deli instead. She says most workers do the same. If you eat with a friend, and the cashier rings up $4.25 for both of you, it’s not a mistake. It’s the cheapest two plates of spaghetti, four meatballs, four slices of white bread, Mountain Dew and Pepsi you’ll ever buy. And the food tastes good.
“I’ve never gotten sick. There’s nothing wrong with the food.”
Some visitors may think the run-down cafeteria may serve unsanitary food, but most of Pechin’s advertising comes from word of mouth, and they have plenty of customers, like Marshal Dobbs. Dobbs has been driving the area for FedEx since 1990 and stops in when he has the chance. He says you can’t beat the price, but some of his friends say they won’t eat there because they think it’s dirty. “I’ve never gotten sick,” he says. “There’s nothing wrong with the food.”
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