Dino's Sports Lounge in Greensburg closes after 15 years

Matthew Wolff watched Monday afternoon as Weyand Sign and Lighting crews finished removing the giant red letters from the front of Dino’s Sports Lounge in Greensburg.

Wolff has been a neighbor to the restaurant for more than a year, owning the OsteoStrong practice two storefronts over in the Greensburg Commerce Park plaza — off Towne Square Drive.

Now, he awaits a new neighbor as Dino’s announced on social media Sunday it would close Monday after 15 years in business.

“We have decided to close our doors due to reasons out of our control,” the post reads. “We extend a huge thank-you to our staff for helping us to be successful for 15 years, and our guests, especially the ones who have become friends.”

Dino’s location along Route 30 in Unity will remain open seven days a week, the post said.

Restaurant management declined to comment when a TribLive reporter called the Unity location Monday afternoon.

Wolff said the restaurant was a source of consistent visits to the business plaza.

“We’re disappointed to see they were closing because they bring in hundreds of people everyday — lunch and dinner,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before somebody sees our sign and comes in.”

The other businesses at 1020 Towne Square Drive include Painting with a Twist, Benjamin Moore Paint & Stain and H & M Nails. The complex is owned by Revest Properties.

Annual rent increases are written into each tenant’s lease, Wolff said.

“It’s not unusual or unexpected,” he said.

Judy Ridilla, owner of the Painting with a Twist studio on the opposite end of the plaza, said Revest has been a supportive landlord to her for the past decade.

“The owners of that building are so nice and so understanding. They’re wonderful landlords — wonderful,” she said. “They keep up with that place, the building. There’s always maintenance going on.

“If you have a problem, they are there in seconds. They take care of things immediately.”

Dino’s in Greensburg has faced several hurdles in recent years. As covid-19 restrictions lifted, the restaurant faced a tough market in 2021 and struggled to hire and maintain enough workers.

Owner Dino DeCario decided in November 2021 to close the restaurant on Mondays to spare employees from burnout — a move that remained until the business’s closure Sunday.

Surviving the pandemic, as Painting with a Twist and Dino’s did, was a victory for local businesses, Ridilla said.

“Owning a business in Greensburg and getting through covid, to me and all of us in that plaza, was a great feat, and we made it,” she said. “It was a challenge — very much a challenge.”

But the Greensburg business and hiring scenes still are shaking off some of the pandemic’s impacts, Ridilla said.

“I don’t think any of our businesses in Greensburg are doing that great because, after covid, a lot of people aren’t doing things,” she said.

“I think people need to understand that, if they want the businesses in Greensburg to succeed, they need to come out and support us.”