Turning 20: Plum pizza shop nears two decades in business

For many kids growing up in the Plum area, Somma’s Pizza has been the place to go after a Little League baseball win.

Trophies donated from football, baseball and especially hockey teams can be found in a case by the restaurant’s game room. Business cards are near the front door, and during the holidays, a Christmas tree dedicated to a resident dealing with trauma sits in the lobby collecting toys for Toys for Tots.

And just about anyone who comes in — adults and youngsters, alike — will likely soon find themselves on a first-name basis with Somma’s two owners.

For almost 20 years, Somma’s Pizza and Sports Bar has been a community staple in Plum, located across from the old Oakmont East golf course, with food served by the husband-and-wife tandem of Mark and Sue Somma.

“It’s just wonderful,” Sue said about Plum. “It’s nice to do something in the area that you live because you know almost all of your customers.”

Prior to starting Somma’s Pizza, they already had years of restaurant experience, albeit in a completely different setting. The first restaurant opened in Aspinwall in 1979, before Sue had entered the picture.

Eventually Mark opened a food shop at PPG Place No. 2. He was the first person to open a shop there and ended up running four different businesses —pizza, burger, hot dogs and a deli — for 25 years.

It was this time when Sue met Mark. She worked opening restaurants for a restaurateur downtown.

They ran the shops together, but around Year 23, business started to slow down. So they decided to open a restaurant closer to home.

“We found this restaurant in Plum and we lived in Plum, so it worked out perfectly,” said Sue. “We waited for a year, and when our lease was up, we moved out here. The rest is history. We’ll be starting our 20th year on March 1.”

The feat of longevity signifies the footprint Somma’s has left on the community. It helps that the restaurant almost acts as a welcome center to the community, located near the Welcome to Plum sign at the Oakmont line.

The Sommas have raised their children in Plum, one of whom just celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his own Plum-based business, Say It Once Dog Training.

Sue mentioned that approximately 60% of the restaurant’s business comes from regulars, and she praised her employees, many of whom have been with Somma’s for years.

“I have the best staff in the world,” said Sue. “I have worked so hard to get where we are and now I couldn’t ask better people to work with me, and I say with me because I work right alongside them.”

The covid-19 pandemic forced several changes that are here to stay. The most notable are the elimination of lunch hours on weekdays and the addition an outdoor area around the back of the shop, where the Sommas have a garden and encourage people to bring their pets.

They will continue today to host youth teams, including fundraisers in which they donate 15% of their profit. The food will continue to be made with fresh ingredients, which is Sue’s favorite aspect of the restaurant. And they’ll continue to be a welcome center for Plum.

“We’re just going to keep plugging away and hope people keep enjoying everything,” Sue said.