Owners Of Atria's And Juniper Grill Says They Are Not Ready To Reopen
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A popular Pittsburgh restaurant chain says they are not quite ready to reopen.
Despite the lifting of Governor Tom Wolf's tightened restrictions on restaurants, the owner of five Atria's and three Juniper Grills says that it's extremely difficult for the chain to continually shut down and then reopen.
"Just to turn these restaurants on and off is not feasible," said Pat McDonnell, the owner. "We do scratch cooking, we have reorientation, the restaurants closed for a month, there's just a lot that goes into it."
McDonnell said like many restaurant owners say he's frustrated with what he says is the "undue burden faced by his industry."
He said it'll take a while to order supplies and assemble staff before he reopens.
"Ultimately, this is going to be lifted, something's going to get back to normal, so that's what we're working on and that's what we're hoping for," he said.
McDonnell said he expects to reopen on January 18 but with the state-order 50% capacity limitations.
He says that limitation will keep him from turning a profit.