SCRANTON, Pa. — It was a busy afternoon inside Sharon's Place along South Washington Avenue in Scranton.
People grabbing a bite to eat, employees hustling about taking and making orders.
Mia Capalongo has worked at the restaurant for three years and said Monday morning they were just as busy until a familiar face walked through the door.
"Everyone kept asking like, is that Richard Gere and I was like, I don't know. I haven't seen him, only in the movies, not in person. It was kind of shocking for everybody," Capalongo said.
She says waited on the Hollywood actor and his family, who stopped in for some breakfast.
"He ordered the chocolate chip pancake, two orders of scrambled eggs, three coffees and a home fry," Capalongo said.
Gere took photos with the staff before he left, and those photos were shared on the restaurant's Facebook page.
Helen Lancia comes to eat at Sharon's almost every day but missed out on an encounter with the celeb.
"It was packed, and then I left because I had to do something. I left, and then I got home and was like, what?!" Lancia said.
Gere is the first celebrity to eat at Sharon's Place, and customers say it's nice for this small business to get some recognition.
"Not many people come to Scranton, but a lot come through because it's such a popular place now," said Lancia.
Capalongo says the post has gone a bit viral on social media, which hasn't been a bad thing.
"It was so busy today. I don't know if it was because of the post or if it was from Richard or whatever, but it helped our business grow. So I'm excited," said Capalongo.
Gere also signed a copy of the menu for them to display in the restaurant.
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