Food Truck Attracts Diners from City, Beyond

Owner started Hi Eatery because he wanted a change

By Elizabeth Laughlin
The Tube City Almanac
August 16, 2022
Posted in: McKeesport and Region News

On a rainy day, customers wait outside Hi Eatery with umbrellas and paper bags.

“Sometimes people get here at 10 a.m.,” owner Keith Colecchi said, “which is before we open.”

Hi Eatery, a food truck, opened last year in July on a vacant lot along Walnut Street, Downtown. It has become a hit for McKeesport residents—and even beyond.

“I’ve had customers from the other side of the state,” Colecchi said. “You never know who is going to show up.”

After working almost 20 years for Duquesne Light, Colecchi decided that he wanted a change.

“I’ve always loved to cook,” Colecchi said. “After the pandemic, I decided that was it. I wanted to open my own business.”

Hi Eatery is entirely self-funded. Colecchi was born and raised in McKeesport, and he wanted to set up a business there. Before doing so, he had never owned a business, so he decided to take entrepreneur classes at the University of Pittsburgh.

“Most people don’t realize this, but I own the land this food truck is on,” Colecchi said. “I learned that food trucks have to have a permit to be open.”

A busy afternoon is typical for Hi Eatery, with the busiest hours between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. At times, business skyrockets, and Colecchi sells out of product.

“I can open any day and sell out,” Colecchi said.

Located near the corner of Walnut and Fifth avenues, near the building that once housed The Golden Rule home furnishings store, Hi Eatery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays.

Hi Eatery cooks food from a smoker and serves hot dogs, rice bowls, tacos, sandwiches and more. Colecchi asked a customer about his favorite item on the menu.

“Definitely the salmon bowl,” the customer said.

Colecchi said that the tacos and the brisket sandwich were also customer favorites. He mentioned that all the food is cooked fresh.

He expressed his sincere gratitude toward the people of McKeesport who support his business. He also thanked those who helped him start up the business and navigate funding.

“I would like to especially thank Mayor (Mike) Cherepko and (community development director) A.J. Tedesco,” Colecchi said.

He also thanked Lorene Spinelli and her daughter, who helped Colecchi design his menu.

“Without their help, this would still be a sketch in my head,” he said. “I’m happy now to directly serve our community. This, I believe, will be a whole new era for McKeesport.”

In the next few years, Colecchi plans to expand his business by renting out a cargo container or train car. He is happy about the success of Hi Eatery, and he looks forward to the future.

“I’m very excited for what is to come,” Colecchi said.

Elizabeth Laughlin is a freelance writer and a doctoral student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She is a graduate assistant who runs the department newsletter and writes for a digital project. She writes for Modern Language Studies, and her short story, "Twenty-Seven," is being published in their journal.

Originally published August 16, 2022.

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