Parker's Pit restaurant used in filming of movie 'Cutman'

Apr. 4—NIAGARA FALLS — A local restaurant will soon be making an appearance on the big screen.

Last month, crews set up shop at Parker's Pit's brick and mortar location on Niagara Falls Boulevard to shoot scenes for the soon to be released film, "Cutman" starring Cheektowaga native William Fichtner.

"It was a neat experience (to see) the detail that goes behind the filming," restaurant owner Mark Bruning of Middleport told the Union-Sun & Journal.

Before the barbecue restaurant opened its doors for business on March 1, Bruning said, a member of the film's crew had stumbled across the building and took an interest in using it for some of the film's scenes.

Shot mostly in Buffalo, the movie details the story of a mom and her daughter traveling through upstate New York. In their travels, they encounter a retired fighter struggling with stomach cancer, Emerrit, who is portrayed by Fichtner.

"(He) meets this young girl who's essentially on her own," film director and producer Michael Mailer said at a Buffalo Filmworks press conference last month. "She's ironically the mother of her mother sort of playing the adult role. He takes a shine to her and, as her mom spins more and more out of control, becomes her guardian angel."

The dining room of the Bruning family's restaurant was transformed into a Waffle House-themed eatery where Fichtner's character takes the young girl for breakfast.

Filming of those scenes commenced about a week after the restaurant's grand opening.

"They literally tore a whole dining room apart for what they needed to do. Then, when they left it was like it never even got touched," Bruning said.

In addition to the restaurant's dining room and parking lot being used in the film, Bruning, along with his wife Candace and his son Parker, were extras in the film, appearing right behind Ficthner's character in the dining room.

"(Fichtner) was in the second booth, we were in the third," Candace Bruning said.

Along the way, the Brunings learned some important tips and tricks about being on a movie set.

"You know how hard it is to have a conversation with somebody else without saying anything?" Mark asked rhetorically. "In between (takes) we were trying to figure out what we could talk about... because other than that everyone just nods their head... I was getting real into it."