New life for Cycle Diner in Tarentum is possible, owners say

There might still be life in Tarentum’s Cycle Diner, just not as a traditional sit-down eatery.

The 1949 diner is owned by Gatto Cycle Shop and attached to its Harley-­Davidson showroom along East Sixth Avenue.

In January, it was denied a permit by the Allegheny County Health Department to reopen. County officials said it was because the layout of the restaurant puts the bathroom access aisle between two lunch counters or a food prep area.

Cycle Diner operated lawfully for decades with the present layout, but the county denied the recent application without regard to the original approvals. Mark Gatto, vice president of the cycle shop, said he’s too busy to entertain a fight with the health department.

“We’re still trying to figure out what to do with it,” Gatto said.

He’s considered several options, such as turning it into a simpler operation such as a coffee shop or possibly a takeout-­only diner.

“It’s a shame,” he said. “It’s a cool facility.”

The structure is a classic O’Mahony diner that originally was in Butler.

Gatto’s father, George, bought the building in 1990 and moved it to Tarentum, where it was “lovingly restored,” in the words of the Gatto website, and opened for business in 1993. It closed in April 2019.

A new operator, John Clark of Clark’s Diner in Lower Burrell, intended to take over the space in early 2020, but those plans dissolved in the face of the pandemic.

The diner retains its original 18 red bar stools and a full-size Wurlitzer jukebox. Scenes from the 2008 movie “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh” were filmed there.

Though he was frustrated by the county’s denial for a permit, Gatto said it opened up a lot of discussion about the future of the site.

“A lot of people reached out to me, so we’ll see what happens,” he said. “It doesn’t really benefit me to do a ‘to-go’ place, because the whole reason for the diner was to bring awareness to our showroom, not to make a profit on a hamburger.

“Coffee shops don’t have to have a cooking area, so we’ll see,” he said. “Nothing is carved in stone.”