Mineo’s Pizza House, other restaurants temporarily shut down due to staffing issues

NORTH HILLS — Restaurants rely on this time of year because of the nice weather. But two well-known restaurants in the North Hills are temporarily shut down because of staffing issues.

Hiring signs are popping up all over the area, including outside Mineo’s Pizza House in Hampton Township. They just opened their doors May 2 and got flooded with customers.

“They were lined up out the door. We couldn’t answer all the phones to make all the food. It was more than we ever dreamed,” said Dominic Mineo, the co-owner of Mineo’s Pizza House.

But not even a week after opening, the restaurant is temporarily closed because they ran out of food and can’t find enough quality workers to meet the demand. Dom Mineo said they need about 20 employees.

“I need people that can work early in the morning, late at night, not limited hours and know what they are doing,” said Mineo.

They plan to reopen the restaurant Wednesday, but they may limit hours and takeout.

Minutes away, Aviva Brick Oven in Gibsonia is also struggling to find employees and is temporarily closed too, but the owner said they plan to reopen shortly.

The Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association says the staffing shortage is one of the biggest challenges for many restaurants right now since many workers left the industry during the pandemic due to the shutdowns and restrictions.

“The hospitality industry in particular lost 25 percent of its workforce to other industries over the past two years,” said Ben Fileccia for the state’s restaurant and lodging association. “Across the country, we’re seeing 5 million more jobs than people who need those jobs, so the jobs are available, we just don’t have the employees.”

The state’s restaurant and lodging association has information on its website to help restaurants connect with new hires. https://www.prla.org/

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