Updated September 14th, 2011 at 4:34 p.m.
Sad news for local sports and grille fans. Stadium Grille has shut their doors at both locations as of Tuesday, September 13th.
Bob Batley started the restaurant in 1990 with the West Chester location. “We were open for twenty-one years, it was a pretty darn good run,” Bob said in a phone call today. “We survived other recessions, but this one was different and hit our customers. That’s the hard part. With two locations and a catering business, it can hit in different ways.”
The restaurants in West Chester and Eagle catered to sports fans and served burgers, pork sandwiches, chicken fingers and ribs. Stadium Grille was known for being the place where families could go to watch sports events on hard-to-find television channels. Families often came together, with parents carting their own cooler of beer. Kids still dressed in baseball uniforms played the assorted arcade and video games while adults ate their meal, drank a beer and watched sports.
Hockey teams and families often dined at Stadium Grille after their games at Ice Line. It wasn’t unusual to see both the local team and the visiting team and their families chatting together only a short time battling on the ice.
“We’ve been blessed with two things – unbelievable customers that liked my cooking and kept coming back,” Bob said, “they’ve been fabulous and we’ve enjoyed watching these kids grow up. We’ve also been blessed with a loyal staff. I told them they will have no problem getting a job because they are truly special. Some managers were here for fifteen years.” Stadium Grille employed six managers, thirteen full-time employees and fifty part-time employees.
“We’ve had 450 employees over the years,” Bob said.
Past employees and customers have already started posting their remembrances of the restaurant on West Chester Dish and Bob’s facebook wall.
Mike Goldovitch noted, “I wanted to say thank you for everything over the years. Our entire family at some point either spent time on the floor or behind the counter. Thanks for all the good food and great times.”
Billy Ronayne wrote, “It was hands down my favorite restaurant in West Chester and I will miss you and your staff greatly.”
“I’m a soccer and basketball coach at Saints Peter & Paul in West Chester. I chose Stadium Grille for every team party. It was the perfect gathering place for kids and adults. I’m going to miss it”, said West Chester resident Matt Hodlofski.
Stadium Grille was also known for their efforts to support local charities. Bishop Shanahan Ice Hockey was one of the many sports teams that held yearly events at the West Chester location. Stadium Grille donated a portion of the proceeds to help fund the sponsoring teams’ athletics programs.
Even more notably, Bob and the staff held the annual Kevin Marlo Thanksgiving Day Feast each year to provide meals for members of the Coatesville VA Medical Center and Safe Harbor, a homeless shelter in West Chester. Bob estimates that Stadium Grille donated over $280,000 to local charities throughout the years.
We wish Bob and the entire staff at Stadium Grille good luck.
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