Caliente Pizza & Drafthouse closes Mt. Lebanon location after positive covid case

An employee at the Mt. Lebanon location of Caliente Pizza & Drafthouse has tested positive for covid-19, the restaurant posted on its Facebook page Monday.

The location will be closed until all team members have been tested, the post said.

“The covid-19 situation is ever changing,” the post reads. “From the beginning we have been proactive to try and stay ahead of the health and sanitation requirements always going above and beyond.”

Owner Nick Bogacz said the employee is a delivery driver. As part of Caliente’s no-contact delivery, the driver did not have any direct interaction with customers, Bogacz said.

Customers will not be able to place orders at the Mt. Lebanon location until further notice, but locations in Bloomfield, Aspinwall, Hampton and Monroeville are still operating. The Mt. Lebanon location is being professionally cleaned and sterilized, the Facebook post said.

Bogacz said he hopes to reopen the location by July 20.

“Since the start of the pandemic, my highest priority has been the health and well-being of my staff while maintaining as many jobs as possible,” he said in an email.

Bars and restaurants in Allegheny County closed in-person dining last week following an order from Health Director Debra Bogen, citing the rapid increase in positive coronavirus cases in the county. There were 218 new cases reported Monday, the second time the county’s daily case count has risen over 200.