Open for business: Restaurants, bars, shops ready for U.S. Open spectators, golfers
Located in Plum, Somma Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar and Zen Restaurant and Sushi Bar are just a chip shot away from Oakmont Country Club.
The establishments are two of many gearing up to welcome an onslaught of golf fans during the upcoming U.S. Open from June 9 to 15 at the club.
“We are close, and our food is good and our beer is cold,” said Susan Somma, co-owner of Somma Pizza. “It will be a fun week.”
Somma said the restaurant will be well-staffed and plans to open every day that week for lunch beginning at 11 a.m. The kitchen will stay open until 10 p.m.
“Or later, if customers are in here,” Somma said. “We appreciate the business.”
As of Tuesday, Zen Restaurant manager Jason Weng said his restaurant will be open regular hours, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. This will be the first U.S. Open experience for Zen Restaurant, which opened the January after the U.S. Open was last here in 2016.
Weng said the restaurant’s plans could change, as they’ve been getting inquiries from people wanting to talk to the owner.
Plans were different for Somma during the 2007 U.S. Open, when the space was closed to the public and rented for the week to 84 Lumber.
“We went to the beach,” Somma said.
There will be no beach trip this year. Somma said the staff will be prepared for the crowds because they know what to expect from 2016.
Somma and Zen aren’t the only area businesses preparing for the weeklong event. Marc Serrao, owner of Oakmont Bakery, said he, like Somma and Zen, will have plenty of help on hand. He’s bringing in extra staff, similar to how the bakery handles the holiday rush, he said. Oakmont Bakery is about a mile from the country club.
Serrao plans to double the overnight shift from 20 people to at least 40. They also will have additional people coming to work throughout the day. The bakery recently opened another parking lot with 52 additional spaces.
Serrao said that, during previous U.S. Opens, his business has increased by 25%.
More on the U.S. Open
• What you need to know to attend the U.S. Open in Oakmont
• 'The hardest I played': Oakmont Country Club likely to raise scores, blood pressures at U.S. Open
• U.S. Open hole by hole: Players will club up for No. 8 at Oakmont, 1 of the longest par 3s in world
Somma said they’ve already noticed more business the past few months, with employees of the U.S. Golf Association, which oversees the U.S. Open, in town to prepare for the event.
“The people who have been coming in from the U.S. Open are so nice,” Somma manager Kate Oggier said. “We’ve gotten to know some of them. We will be busy that week. We will be ready.”
This will be a first-time experience for Matt and Maria Synan, who co-own Local Remedy Brewing in Oakmont with several other people, including head brewer Joe Vickless.
“It’s a passion project,” said Matt Synan of Indiana Township.
Local Remedy Brewing, just a few blocks from Oakmont Bakery, will host Andy Johnson and Brendan Porath’s “Fried Egg Golf Podcast,” which covers news from the pro golf tours around the world and topics from the amateur game.
It’s worth noting that Local Remedy’s bar top was made from a sugar maple from the 18th fairway at Oakmont Country Club.
The business is collaborating on a beer called “Moving Day,” a hazy pale ale named for the day before the final day of a major tournament, where golfers are most aggressive and trying to move up the leaderboard.
Local Remedy, which has a 10-barrel system, will have canned beer in four-packs for grab-and-go purchase and a variety of brews on tap, as well as food trucks for several days that week. It also offers a premixed cocktail by Goodlander.
It will be open that week from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and noon to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
“I am excited,” Matt Synan said. “I am a golfer, and I can’t wait for that week.”
With the spectators being shuttled by bus to and from the course from parking locations outside of Oakmont, Maria Synan said she isn’t sure how busy it will be in town.
According to the USGA, no general fan parking is available at the Oakmont Country Club site. Instead, fans must park in either of the two large fan parking lots — the red lot at Hartwood Acres or the blue lot at Monroeville Mall — and take a shuttle to the championship site.
The borough will block access to several side streets near Oakmont Country Club. There will be no access to Hulton Road from 10th through 13th streets. People who live on those roads will receive a letter from the USGA with parking details.
In addition, Ninth Street will be one-way from Hulton Road to Pennsylvania Avenue; 10th Street will be one-way from Washington Avenue to Hulton Road; Pennsylvania Avenue will be one-way from Ninth Street to 12th Street; and Virginia Avenue will be one-way from 10th Street to Ninth Street.
Although there will be no shuttle service from the country club to the Oakmont business district, Maria Synan said she expects people staying in town and renting houses during U.S. Open week to patronize businesses in town.
Oakmont Bakery, where golfers and fans often stop, plans to have a section of the store with golf-inspired cookies, cupcakes and cakes.
The bakery will be open regular hours, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
“People have told me the business district slows down during the U.S. Open, but that hasn’t been my experience,” Serrao said. “I love it being here. It is recognition for the whole town.”
Anna Bencivenga, owner of Urbana Boutique, a women’s clothing and accessories shop about a block and a half from Local Remedy in Oakmont, said people going to the tournament by shuttle will be going past the business district.
The Oakmont Chamber of Commerce will have a welcome tent at the event showing a map of businesses — some of which are extending their days and hours. Bencivenga said they’ve created The Twin Boros Experience, which unites Oakmont and nearby Verona’s retail and service districts as a way to drive more foot traffic to the area.
Bencivenga said some other business owners have said they lost foot traffic since the USGA began shuttling fans to and from the course.
“Oakmont is such a charming town, a Norman Rockwell town,” Bencivenga said. “We want visitors to experience this.”
So does Oakmont Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Dinnin Jr. He expects restaurants and bars to be busy, especially in the evenings. He said there will be people living in town that week who are renting homes.
He added that the USGA has had people on-site for months preparing for the tournament who have been spending money in and around the area.
“They will be talking about Oakmont on the (television) broadcast, which is a good thing,” Dinnin said. “That is great exposure. It might be a little bit of an inconvenience if you aren’t a golfer, but this puts us on the map.”
Dinnin doesn’t want the golf tournament to keep people from visiting Oakmont.
“It has been my experience that town is a little quieter during the day,” said Dinnin, who is in the insurance business. “People think the traffic will be horrendous, but they should not have trouble getting into and out of town if they want to shop or eat.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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