Caterer seeks to rent former Rostraver Airport restaurant
An Allegheny County man who recently sold his Elizabeth Township tavern said he wants to rent a former restaurant at the Rostraver Airport for his catering business and to serve takeout barbecue meals.
Gary Musisko of Elizabeth said he wants to rent the site of the former Eagle’s Landing II restaurant at the airport along Route 51 as soon as possible. He wants to use the kitchen to make the food for his Blaine Hill Barbecue & Catering business.
Musisko said he needs the restaurant kitchen since he sold Droopy’s Cross Creek Bar and Grill on Boston Hollow Road in Elizabeth Township a few months ago. The Rostraver Airport along Route 51 will be a good location, with easy access to Interstate 70 and other communities in the Mon Valley, Musisko said.
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which operates the airport in Rostraver, authorized its solicitor, Daniel Hewitt, to negotiate a tentative lease with Musisko for that space. The authority intends to vote on whether to approve the lease at the board’s July 9 meeting.
The negotiations would be conducted with the understanding that the authority is willing to give Musisko a discount on rent for the first year of operation, in return for making improvements to the restaurant, Hewitt said.
In November 2022, Gabe Monzo, airport authority executive director, said it might take $1 million to renovate the restaurant.
Musisko, 75, said he would paint the restaurant and do “whatever it takes” to operate it. The previous owners of the restaurant, which occupies about 3,400 square feet of an 8,000-square-foot hangar at the airport, left kitchen equipment in the building.
This is the second time this year the authority has entertained an offer to use airport property for an eating establishment.
The airport authority discussed providing a piece of airport property near Route 51 for a Dunkin’ doughnut shop, but those negotiations fell through. There is an existing Dunkin’ along Route 51 near the Rostraver Airport.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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