Olives & Peppers opening at historic Greensburg train station

It’s been more than three years, but the long-awaited Olives & Peppers restaurant finally is set to open Thursday in the historic Greensburg train station.

“It did take us a little longer than we had hoped, but we are really excited to open,” said Emily Williams, part of the family that owns the restaurant group.

The eatery will be open by reservation only initially because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Williams.

“It’s just to make sure we’re properly social distancing our guests and make sure we can follow all the covid regulations,” she said.

Takeout orders likely will be available, though that will depend on how busy the restaurant is in its early weeks, Williams said.

This will be the third Olives & Peppers location. The original, in Richland, permanently closed in September because of the pandemic. The second remains open in Trafford.

Williams said customers who are familiar with the other locations will know what to expect from the Greensburg eatery — white-tablecloth Italian dining with a more casual atmosphere.

“We want to make sure we’re giving everyone the best of what we can,” she said.

The train station space formerly was occupied by The Supper Club, which closed in early 2017.

StoneKim Properties, the New Stanton investment group that owns the train station, in September 2016 announced Olives & Peppers was coming. Co-owner Kay Kim said she’s fielded constant questions from residents about the restaurant ever since.

“It was always, ‘Hey, what’s happening with Olives & Peppers?’ ” she said.

There are several reasons why it took so long to open, Williams said. The family prioritized expanding and renovating its Trafford location, and it took a while to put a staff together. The pandemic further slowed the process.

“(Co-owner Bryan Williams) took the time to focus and be strategic on what the right changes were to the inside, and the right furniture and presentation of the environment for guests in downtown Greensburg,” Kim said. “We have worked with him over that entire period and are thrilled that he is opening.”

Renovations at the train station mostly have been cosmetic, Williams said, adding Olives & Peppers’ signature style while preserving the building’s historic elements.

“We have been welcomed and embraced by the Greensburg community, and we are so excited to be a part of it,” she said.

Kim said she expects the restaurant to be a popular spot that will bring many new people to the train station.

“We wanted a destination restaurant that would support the growth and rebuilding of downtown Greensburg,” she said.

StoneKim Properties bought the train station from the Westmoreland Cultural Trust four years ago for $525,000 after the trust spent $3.5 million renovating the building.

Michael Langer, who was then president and CEO of the trust, said at the time the sale was justified because the 110-year-old building consistently lost money and required expensive maintenance.

In 2012, the station was renamed PNC Station at Greensburg when the Pittsburgh-based bank acquired the naming rights for 10 years in exchange for a $300,000 grant to the trust.

PNC pulled its name off the station after the StoneKim acquisition, according to Kim. The trust got to keep the grant money.

Kim said her company has turned the station into a financially viable operation.

It’s fully occupied. In addition to the Amtrak station and new restaurant, it houses the offices of state Rep. Eric Nelson, the Greensburg Community Development Corporation, Westmoreland Health Group and a law office.

When the trust owned the building, tenants leased space on a month-to-month basis. StoneKim negotiated five-year leases, which provides financial stability, Kim said.

The company also continued work on the building, repairing the station clocktower, restoring the brick parking lot, and adding a new security and fire system.