Slice on Broadway plans to close its PNC Park location at the end of the month.
The Twitter announcement came as the Pirates played their home opener in an empty ballpark Monday, with covid-19 restrictions banning crowds.
Owner Rico Lunardi cited the lack of fans and largely empty office buildings in the North Shore as reasons for leaving the location.
The pizza joint opened on the Pirates Opening Day in 2016. Since then, about 55% of their business has been generated by fans at the games.
This year, no fans means no profit.
“This was a curveball,” Lunardi said. “I was waiting on baseball to see what they decided. We were hoping they were going to allow fans.”
Popular summer concerts at PNC Park were also cancelled — exacerbating Slice on Broadway’s losses.
The restaurant relied on steady lunch business, too, with several local businesses supporting the restaurant. But with many working remotely, Lunardi said even that slowed drastically.
@Pgh_Slice is closing its PNC Park location on July 31.
Owner Rico Lunardi said the lack of fans at PNC Park this year is hurting business.
“This was a curveball.” pic.twitter.com/ZTK9MAtQSp— Julia Felton (@JuliaFelton16) July 28, 2020
“We’ve had people every day,” he said. “But it just hasn’t been the same.”
Prior to the pandemic, Lunardi said he’d been planning to renew his lease at the location and stay there “forever.” Now, he’s sad to say goodbye to a community that embraced his business.
“It’s like moving from your family,” he said.
Loyal patrons were just as upset about the closure. Derek Deakins and David Demarco enjoyed one last visit to the PNC Park Slice on Broadway location on Tuesday.
“We came here all the time,” Deakins, a Pirates season ticket holder, said.
The two reminisced on memories of enjoying their favorite pizza while watching their favorite team.
“We stood here and ate a whole pizza and watched the game,” Demarco said. He said he plans to visit other Slice on Broadway locations, but they won’t have the same nostalgia.
“It’s sad,” Deakins said. “It’s terrible that local businesses are being hurt like this.”
Slice on Broadway still has locations in Beechview, Carnegie, and East Liberty. All of the employees at the PNC Park location were moved to other locations, Lunardi said.
Lunardi said he’s hoping to open another location in the Pittsburgh area soon.
