The historic Lawrence Park Dinor is up for sale.
The 78-year-old Dinor at 4019 Main St. in Lawrence Park is listed for $285,000 by Howard Hanna.
Owner Dawn Van Scoter says that you can’t put a price tag on the memories and adventures this business has given her.
“This place just isn’t a restaurant, it’s a home, it’s a family,” Van Scoter said. “We have regulars that walk through the door and everyone says hi to you like on ‘Cheers.’ It’s a place where everyone can come, enjoy a meal and conversation.”
Van Scoter purchased the historic Dinor in February of 2022 and has been running the restaurant along with other businesses in North East. Previously the Dinor was owned by Becky and Rick Standley.
“It’s been no secret that I’ve been behind the scenes here for the last year opening my second restaurant in North East (Toast),” Van Scoter said. “I’m the cook down there. It’s not that it’s been difficult running two restaurants and the antique store. It’s not that I don’t manage my time well, I do the best that I can and I enjoy it for sure. At the end of the day, I need to be closer to home. I need to be working in North East.”
What’s next for Dawn Van Scoter?
Van Scoter told the Erie Times-News that her focus for now will be on her current businesses residing in North East, as well as her family.
“I need to be closer to my kids,” Van Scoter said. “My son is going to be a senior next year, so we’re working really hard on his next steps for graduation and his future. It’s important to me to be close to him for that and not out here, not that 12 miles is far from North East.”
On top of owning the Dinor in Lawrence Park, Van Scoter has been the owner of the re.FOUND.ry antique store at 14 S. Lake St. She also runs Toast Lounge and Eatery at 10651 W. Main Road.
Van Scoter says that both of those businesses will continue operations as normal.
Loving connection to the Dinor, customers and staff
Van Scoter says she can’t finish the Dinor journey without a heartfelt goodbye and thank you to the Lawrence Park community, the regulars at the Dinor, her staff and the travelers who have sat down for a meal.
“It’s been meaningful meeting those people, talking to them and hearing their stories,” Van Scoter said. “You can always count on the staff being there for the people, too.”
With the search for the next ownership, she hopes that someone will come in and be as passionate and caring as she’s been toward the Dinor. She also hopes that the new owner keeps preserving the history behind the Dinor.
“I hope someone will love this place as much as I have,” Van Scoter said. “I hope they keep it the nostalgic Dinor that it is. I hope they will be as passionate as I’ve been. It’s naive to think that anyone who buys it, I’m not honestly sure how the process will go. I know how I ended up with it and I had never been in the Dinor until the night I bought it.”
The Dinor was built in 1948 and is listed atop 422 Erie restaurants on Trip Advisor. It can be found on the National Register of Historic Places, where it was added in 2004 as a Silk City diner — a mid‑20th‑century railcar‑style design.
About the Lawrence Park Dinor listing
According to Howard Hannah Real Estate, the new owner will purchase the business and start earning income immediately.
The new owner will receive “all supplies, equipment and bragging rights at the settlement,” the site says.
The Dinor received upgrades including a new grill in 2025, an exterior concrete patio in 2022, replacement plumbing and electrical work.
Along with the Lawrence Park Dinor, the listing includes the one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment located directly behind the restaurant.
