New Kensington approves liquor license transfer for Crossbar Grill

New Kensington Council has approved the transfer of a liquor license into the city for a recently opened restaurant on Craigdell Road.

The license for Crossbar Grill is coming into New Kensington from Murrysville.

It was unanimously approved by council after a public hearing, but the state Liquor Control Board still needs to OK it, according to Tim Miller, an attorney representing restaurant owner Joe Hesketh.

Hesketh, co-owner of Twisted Thistle and Market Street Pizza in Leechburg, opened Crossbar in December in a building across from the Pittsburgh Ice Arena. It previously was home to The Breakaway Bar and Grill.

Miller said they sought to transfer the license because none were available in New Kensington. Obtaining the license held by Breakaway was not feasible because it is subject to what Miller said were significant fines that Hesketh would have to pay.

Councilman Todd Mentecki, who lives nearby, raised the only concern. He said neighbors were asking him if there would be any concerts or loud events at the restaurant late into the night. Mentecki said sound from the area of the arena travels up the valley.

Like at Twisted Thistle, Hesketh said he envisions having small acoustic bands perform background music on an indoor stage for people to listen to while they eat. The music would be played on speakers for patrons outside.

Hesketh said it would be kept within city noise limits and played no later than 9 p.m. so as to not disturb residents’ sleep.

While he plans to build an outdoor deck, Hesketh said it would not be a stage and he is not planning outdoor concerts. The city would review and approve plans for the deck and could impose restrictions, city Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti said.

Miller said Hesketh’s plan is for Crossbar to be a family friendly establishment, serving primarily mixed drinks and craft beers, with no plans to serve shots or things that would invite intoxication. There would be no takeout of alcohol.

Miller said Hesketh will pay for his employees to go through the state’s Responsible Alcohol Management Program, which trains servers and bartenders to identify fake identifications and visibly intoxicated customers. Miller said that will be important because of the proximity of the ice arena.

“You’re going to have children; you’re going to have teenagers there; you’re going to have younger adults. You’re going to need staff that recognize situations with fake IDs and things like that and trained to identify that,” he said. “It’s going to be incredibly important to have staff that’s trained and certified in the RAMP program to assist with that.”

Mayor Tom Guzzo said participation in the program is “a big plus,” and “makes it much more palatable.”

No members of the public commented during the hearing or council’s subsequent meeting, which were held on Zoom.