Downtown Pittsburgh bars and eating places are lastly thriving throughout a busy weekend – CBS Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh (KDKA) – People flocked to downtown Pittsburgh this weekend for several events that helped bars and restaurants attract more customers.

Downtown Pittsburgh is coming to life and the bar and restaurant business is booming. It was also the first weekend since most of the COVID-19 restrictions on businesses were lifted.

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“I couldn’t be more excited. When I opened today, I had a line of people in front of the door who wanted tacos and margaritas, ”said Tyler Mossman, General Manager at Täkō.

“We’re so busy. For the first time in 15 months we are busy and really happy to see all of our customers, new and old, ”said Martina Hanoglu, owner of Alihan’s Mediterranean Cuisine.

Downtown streets looked almost like pre-pandemic this weekend with lots of people walking around.

There were Pittsburgh Pride events and the 10-day Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival began on Friday. The festival spans the Cultural District, Point State Park, and the section of Fort Duquesne Boulevard that is closed for events for five months.

“It’s a weird feeling because downtown was basically a ghost town for a long, long time and now when you see all these people it feels like old times are back, it’s great,” said Hanoglu.

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“Now we don’t stop, the door just opens wider and people come in,” said Hanoglu.

Most of Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 restrictions were removed from the menu a week ago. Restaurants are 100 percent full again and no longer have to distribute tables.

“It’s been a bumpy road, but it feels really good to see that Täkō is the restaurant it was,” said Mossman.

The busy weekend creates a lot of excitement, but the restaurants are not quite normal yet. Many still need employees.

“We still need a cook and a few more waiters,” said Hanoglu.

“We are hiring 100%. Come by, fill out an application, give us a résumé, we’ve got a lot of work for you, ”said Mossman.

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Hanaghlu said restaurants are also grappling with spikes in food prices such as steak and vegetables.