RETRO REASONING.(Eat N' Park Restaurant Inc.)(Company Profile)

Eat'n Park hopes its new store prototype will better serve the family-dining market

It sounds like a contradiction in terms: cutting-edge family dining.

While it's not exactly seeking a bohemian approach in its goal of providing mainstream value in sit-down dining, Eat'n Park has established a new store prototype that is a substantial departure from its established restaurants.

"We haven't tampered with what's made us a success," said Andrew Dunmire, vice president of Design & Construction for Eat'n Park Hospitality Group Inc.

"What we found is when we moved into markets that aren't familiar with the name Eat'n Park that our old prototypes could very easily be mistaken for a casual dining theme."

It's a dilemma that comes with an increasingly crowded restaurant industry. While Eat'n Park has been a mainstay in the Western Pennsylvania market for more than 50 years, relatively new chains, such as Applebee's, TGIFridays and the Olive Garden, have helped to blur …