Washington County restaurant reopening indoor dining despite state’s orders

WASHINGTON, Pa. — As restaurants brace for a tough winter, many owners feel they’re being left out in the cold after the state rolled out new mitigation efforts last week.

Now the owner of Angelo’s restaurant in Washington County is going against those orders and reopening his indoor dining on Friday.

“I’m going to announce today that I’m doing something completely out of my character. I’m going to open my restaurant at Friday morning at 11,” Michael Passalacqua said in a video.

The video shared online is already going viral, racking up more than 25,000 views.

Channel 11′s Jillian Hartmann asked him what made him decide to do this.

“Finally when I had to lay off 50% of my staff the other day and pick and choose who was going to stay and who was gonna go, it was just gut-wrenching,” Passalacqua said.

Passalacqua said he doesn’t want to cause any trouble, he’s just fighting to make a living and keep his family business open. It’s been around for more than 80 years.

“My employees can’t go three weeks to four weeks to 5 weeks to 6 weeks because no one actually knows when this will actually be over without making any money, particularly sacrificing the busiest three weeks of the year,” he said.

The state shut down indoor dining until Jan. 4 to help slow the spread. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said defying the order puts the public at risk.

“I think they’re really hurting themselves, putting their staff and customers at risk,” Levine said. “There is robust evidence over the last 6 months that shows the impact of indoor dining and restaurants.”

But Passalacqua disagrees, saying they’ve done everything by the book to make his restaurant as safe as possible.

With customers turning away from outdoor dining in this cold weather, he feels compelled to reopen his indoor dining.

“I don’t see any other way out for the people who work in this industry,” Passalacqua said.

On Dec. 21, the Southwest PA Restaurant and Tavern Association is holding a Rights for Restaurants rally at Al’s Café in Bethel park. The event is open to the public.

31% of all COVID-19 related deaths in Allegheny County have been reported in December

Cox Media Group