Monroeville restaurants struggle with covid restrictions

Layoffs, sickness and changing rules — it’s all part of the game right now if you own a restaurant or bar. In Monroeville, these types of businesses have been hurting.

For some, it’s been tempting to scrap the ever-changing rules and regulations to follow their own. But most have chosen to roll with the punches and continue to hold on to hope that, eventually, this pandemic will pass.

“If you’re in the restaurant business, you’re tough. There’s long hours — it’s not easy work. You’re a fighter if you’re in the business. And we’re passionate about what we do,” said Michelle Kirsop, owner of Coast and Main Seafood and Chophouse. The restaurant is located at the Monroeville Mall.

Kirsop, 46, of Plum opened her restaurant with her husband, Ricky, two years ago. The restaurant celebrated its two-year anniversary on Aug. 14. Before covid-19, the couple employed 60 people.

When the pandemic put its death grip on the economy in mid-March, Kirsop said they had to furlough the entire staff. As businesses began to reopen, they slowly brought back more workers — but restrictions limiting the number of people that can be inside has been a challenge.

“The 25% occupancy rule — it’s almost impossible to make a profit with that. No business is set up to work on that business model. Unless you’re a big restaurant with good capital, it’s hard to survive,” Kirsop said.

Sean Logan, president of the Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce, said roughly 60 restaurants in the municipality belong as members of the chamber. Of those, more than half are independently owned, or “mom and pop” shops, like Coast and Main, Logan said.

“These guys are hemorrhaging,” he said of independently owned restaurants and bars. “And, unfortunately, I don’t have the answer.”

He said the chamber has tried to be a resource to businesses through the pandemic. But the number-one complaint he’s heard has been the perception of a moving target — with orders and advice coming from multiple sources.

“When that happens, when there’s not just one source of information, that creates confusion, doubt and then people start doing whatever they want to do,” Logan said. “We were getting calls like, ‘who do we listen to?’ ”

In fact, some restaurants have decided to follow their own rules. Some belonging to the newly-formed Southwestern Pennsylvania Restaurant and Tavern Association decided earlier this month to scrap the 25% capacity rule in order to allow as many socially distanced patrons as possible to eat indoors. And some decided to open up their bars, too.

“It’s been very tempting to just open up and abide by the mask rule and social distancing,” said Dan Hadley, co-owner of Dad’s Pub and Grub. But Hadley said making sure his 33 employees in Monroeville and another 20 based at the Braddock Hills site feel safe is his “number-one concern.”

Hadley’s restaurant in Monroeville had a scare when an employee tested positive for covid-19 in June. The restaurant shut its doors for 10 days as a precaution and to allow every employee to be tested.

No one else tested positive, he said. And the employee ended up recovering and returning to work soon after.

To go through that again would only add insult to injury, he said. The 8-year-old business has already lost about half of the revenue it would normally see from April to August.

Restaurants also have to worry about assessments from the Allegheny Health Department’s Covid Field Response Team. The team visits establishments throughout the county, checks their covid-19 response and evaluates how well they follow mandates, including capacity restrictions, mask and social distancing requirements and other guidelines.

So far, the team has given 128 assessments in Monroeville. Some restaurants have been assessed more than once, but of those assessments, 13% have resulted in a violation. The most common violation has been employees not wearing face coverings.

Coast and Main was assessed on July 28. The team found zero issues.

“But that’s been another frustration,” said Kirsop. “There’s a lot of us that have taken it very seriously. We’ve followed every protocol since day one. Others haven’t. That’s what created the task force. The bad ones ruined it for others who are diligent.”

Kirsop said she will continue to follow the rules – however many more times they change. For Coast and Main right now, that means a lot of takeout and delivery, limited dining, no bar service and no outdoor seating – which has been some restaurants’ saving grace.

Dad’s in Monroeville has a covered patio for outdoor dining.

“We’ve been saying it took a pandemic to get the best weather Pittsburgh’s ever had,” Hadley said, adding sales have recently started to pick up. “But that 25% rule is going to be hard to maintain once the weather changes. How are you going to make this work when it’s 30 degrees? The answer is we’re not. We’re gonna have to do takeout only.”

Logan lobbied on behalf of Monroeville restaurants in June to get the municipality to relax its zoning rules in order to let places use parking lots for outdoor dining. Council unanimously passed the temporary rule in early June.

Because of Coast and Main’s location, outdoor seating is not doable, Kirsop said – even with Monroeville’s relaxed rules. Her restaurant is too far away from a parking lot, she said. So she and her husband have relied on takeout and delivery. And some people – not a lot – have eaten in their dining room.

Depending on delivery, however, was another challenge. Kirsop said third-party platforms such as Uber Eats and Grub Hub take up to 30% commissions on all orders. To compensate, restaurants mark up their products generally 30-35%.

“So depending on your product, you’re basically passing that off to the delivery platform,” she said.

Although fighting an unfair battle, Kirsop is hopeful.

“I have to believe we’re gonna get through this. We just have to keep at it,” she said.