Smell of sewage in Lawrenceville restaurant prompts several complaints to health department

PITTSBURGH — The smell of sewage is evident in a popular Lawrenceville restaurant.

It’s a popular destination on Butler Street, but one employee said it’s not the place to be right now.

“It’s a health hazard just all around. It’s bad for the employees that work there as well as the customers there dining,” said Haley Passione who works at Industry Public House.

The pictures show what Passioned said is building up in the basement of the restaurant.

She said the brown water and pile of human waste are sitting among items that go directly into servicing customers.

“That’s where they prep all of the food, there’s a prep kitchen down there. That’s where the beer cooler is and there is some food storage in the beer cooler as well,” Passione said.

She told Channel 11 that it got so bad during her Saturday shift that employees were refusing to go into that part of the restaurant. She’s speaking out to let the public know as the restaurant continues to operate.

“For me, it’s the fact that we were still serving customers food and beverages while there was active human waste in the building. That’s a pretty big red flag to me,” Passione said.

She went as far as to call the Health Department to complain. Channel 11 stopped by the restaurant where you could smell the sewage in the air. On the side of the building was a hose coming out of the vent leading to the basement and into the storm drain on the main road.

The restaurant told us it did not have any comment about the situation.

Inspectors from the Allegheny Health Department went to the restaurant Monday night.

According to their report, Industry Public House closed Tuesday to make repairs.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group