By Dennis LaRueBOARDMAN, Ohio -- At the Park Classic Diner, South Avenue at U.S. 224, the menu is from the 1950s, as is the decor, the servers' uniforms (and diner names), the music (albeit compact discs disguised as 45s in the free juke box). Everything is fifties-ish except the prices that are 2005.There general manager Shaun Eutsey oversees a staff of 89 who can make and serve cheeseburgers, french fries, "36 flavors of milkshakes, all made with homemade ice cream," he said, "hand breaded onion rings, grandma's meatloaf [and many other] meals made snappy to keep you happy."The onion rings have proved the restaurant's biggest seller so far, the general manager reported. Customers are greeted by staff with name tags bearing their names as well as their "diner" names: Betty Boop and Peggy Sue, Chachi, Flo and Vera, and other names made famous in cartoons, the movies and television shows set in bygone decades. "Meals made snappy to keep you happy" is how staff answer the diner's phone, Eutsey said, and the philosophy behind Pittsburgh based Eat 'n Park's venture into theme restaurants. The Park diner here is the third built by Eat 'n Park -- it opened Dec. 2 -- the first two being in Monroeville and Jeannette, Pa. Eat 'n Park has grown to 75 restaurants in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.On hand to celebrate the arrival of the diner in Boardman Tuesday morning were Township Trustee Tom Costello, representatives of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and all staff who could be spared from the kitchen and tables."What a plum for Boardman!" Costello remarked. "I'm just thrilled Eat 'n Park has invested in Boardman on a redevelopment site." A Pizza Hut stood where the diner stands.Among the characteristics that set the Park diner apart, Eutsey bragged, are customers being served the steel containers in which milkshakes are made. "You get the tin," Eutsey said. That way customers get every drop.Eat 'n Park, founded by Pittsburgh businessmen in 1949, ventured into diners with a '50s atmosphere, Eutsey said, to draw customers into "a fun, creative environment." Throughout December, said one patron, the 42-car parking lot was filled and it was hard to get in.Upon entering, one expects to hear songs exclusively from the '50s, not Elton John, although as Eutsey points out a couple of tunes later, many early rock 'n roll hits sung by the Big Bopper, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and (early) Elvis Presley mix freely with later rock stars.While Eat 'n Park had carhops serving customers in their cars in 1949, the Park diner does not.In the near future, Eutsey said, the diner will recognize public school students who earn good grades by giving them discounts based on the grades on their report cards.Contact Dennis LaRue at [email protected]"