Pop-Up Patio Opens Downtown For Weekday Lunches

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh has its fair share of gray, cloudy days like today- which might be why so many people appreciate any day that you can have lunch outside.

Those kinds of places just became more plentiful in downtown Pittsburgh thanks to a new initiative by the city and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

It's called Project Pop Up Patio.

"Project Pop-Up Patio is a patio that will spring up here on Strawberry Way for the next month during lunch time," said Leigh White with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. "We encourage people to bring their lunch and sit down, just relax pick up lunch from local restaurants and just come on down and we expect on a sunny day that every seat will be filled."

Tables and chairs will fill Strawberry Way from Smithfield Street to Montour Way --weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

It's a place where people can read a book, take a break or grab lunch at any of the restaurants in the area and relax during a hectic work day.

Local restaurant owners say anything that helps increase foot traffic and business is good news for the area.

Ray Auslander owns "Weiner World."

He's been in business here for 48 years.

"This end of town has lost a lot of people," Auslander said. "We lost the Office Depot, we lost Saks, Reed Smith building is empty so maybe this will bring some people down from other buildings to have lunch rather than sitting on a wall somewhere."

The idea is good news to newer restaurants as well -such as 'Toss't" set to open in August.

It plans to be the go-to place for fast, casual, healthy salads.

And thanks to this new initiative, there shouldn't be a shortage of public space to enjoy what the new and old-- has to offer.

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