The silver trailer that’s been sitting along the walkway between Hillman Library and David L. Lawrence Hall is finally coming to life as Ethel’s — a diner-esque takeout spot offering breakfast specialties from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ethel’s, which is run by Pitt’s food vendor Chartwells, offers everything from a Maple Bacon Doughnut Sandwich, with egg, bacon and cheese on a glazed doughnut, to a Veggie Bowl, with tofu scramble and roasted vegetables over hash browns.
There are breakfast classics, like pancakes, French toast sticks and biscuits & gravy, as well as some more modern takes, like the Florentine wrap with spinach, mushrooms, peppers, tofu scramble, hash browns, green onion and sunflower seed pesto.
Unlike many of the student-focused dining locations on campus, Ethel’s will remain open over the summer.
The 1953 Spartan Aircraft Co. aluminum trailer has been sitting along the walkway for several months, but construction at Hillman Library limited access to it.
Spartan, once owned by the Getty Corporation, built luxury planes for oil executives and the Spartan NP-1 used during World War II. After the war, the company pivoted to addressing the post-war housing demand with trailer homes like the one now on Pitt’s campus, which was found on a Kansas farm with the word “Ethel” scrawled across the outside.
The trailer has been completely transformed inside and out into a fully equipped food truck. Picnic tables and Adirondack chairs are scattered around the food truck.
For more of Ethel’s history and to see a full menu, go to the Pitt Eats website.
— Susan Jones
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