Pittsburgh Restaurants, Gyms To Take Another Coronavirus Hit

PITTSBURGH, PA -- Nick Bogacz isn’t worried about his award-winning pizzeria chain getting by during the state’s latest coronavirus mitigation measures that will ban indoor dining in restaurants for three weeks.

He’s worried about his employees.

“I feel horrible for our bartenders and servers,” said Bogacz, owner of Caliente Pizza and Draft House locations in Bloomfield, Aspinwall, Monroeville, Hampton and Mt. Lebanon.

“They were counting on tips for Christmas,” Bogacz said. “That’s how they make their living, that’s how they survive...it’s not just the financial aspect, it’s the mental anguish as well.”

Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday announced several temporary coronavirus mitigation restrictions, including closing indoor dining and gyms, limiting gatherings and suspending youth sports. The measures are aimed to slow the spread of the coronavirus in high-risk settings, officials said.

The restrictions begin Saturday and will begin Saturday and will be in effect until Jan. 4.

Bill Fuller is president of the Pittsburgh-based Big Burrito Restaurant Group. The company operates the Mad Mex chain as well as Alta Via in Fox Chapel, Eleven and Kaya in the Strip District, Casbah in East Liberty and Soba and Umi, both in Shadyside.

As he prepared once again to switch the company’s restaurants back to takeout and delivery-only modes on Friday, Fuller echoed Bogacz’s sentiments. “A lot of people are going to lose a lot of wages right before Christmas,” he said.

“We will lose a lot of business during what is usually a very busy time. Cooks will lose a lot of hours. Servers will lose their tips,” he said. “Hopefully, the governor keeps his word and reopens us (for sit-down dining) on Jan. 4.”

The state edict immediately has been condemned by the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, which said that Wolf has done little to assist the industry while taking actions that have financially crippled it.

“This order is devastating to the hospitality industry,” association CEO John Longstreet said.

“Hundreds of businesses are teetering on the brink of financial disaster and the livelihood of thousands of employees are on the line. The governor offers us nothing but lip service by acknowledging the hospitality industry’s precarious financial situation when our expertise is repeatedly ignored when drafting mitigation orders.”

At least one popular Pittsburgh eatery won’t reopen even when indoor dining resumes in January. Shortly after Wolf’s new restrictions were unveiled, Frick Park Tavern in Regent Square announced it was closing until spring.

“We want to make sure all of our guests and staff are safe in the winter months to come,” a post on the tavern’s Facebook page stated. We want to thank all of our customers that have supported use this summer and fall in these difficult times.

“We will be stronger than ever when we reopen in 2021.”

Another business that likely won’t reopen until well into the new year is Club Cycle. The fitness facility in the KeyBank Building, Downtown, shut down voluntarily earlier this fall in anticipation of the virus surge now devastating the state and nation.

General Manager Bill Bara said Club Cycle has been renting bikes to members and using a virtual platform to deliver workouts. Bara said Club Cycle is “trying to make lemonade out of lemons” and isn’t worrying about whether the facility will survive the pandemic.

“We think the closures will help,” he said. “The most important thing you can value is life. You can always open another business, but you can’t get another mother and father.”