INGOOD TASTE
Art Mitchell , Owner , Trolley Stop Inn
Candid conversations with the dining scene ’ s most engaging chefs
6247 Library Road , Bethel Park ; 412.831.7300 , trolleystopinn . com M-Th , 11 a . m . to Midnight ; Fri . -Sat., 11 a . m . to 1 a . m .; Sun ., Noon to 11 p . m .
In June , the Trolley Stop Inn was submerged under 5 feet of torrential rain . Owner Art Mitchell reflects on the flood that led to an outpouring of community help .
Q A Describe what happened
recently when the Trolley Stop Inn was flooded . The flooding was something I ’ ll never forget . Since opening in 1983 , we had never been put out of business because of a flood . It was a Wednesday morning in June and our main food vendors delivered all the food , beer and liquor like normal . By that night our main floor had about 5 feet of water throughout the entire restaurant , in a matter of minutes . Bethel Park had approximately 4 inches of rain in about 45 minutes . The rain dropped so hard and so fast onto Route 88 that it came down into our small creek , turning it into a monster as it gushed into our lot . There was so much water it floated 12 or 14 cars parked in front of the restaurant . The water broke our main door open and flooded the whole place . We had 20 or more customers and employees inside . Thankfully , no one was injured . However , there was a ton of financial loss for my customers , the employees and myself . The toughest part was knowing we had just remodeled the entire place only two years ago — both the exterior and interior — with all-new floors and walls .
How is the Trolley Stop Inn since the flooding ? Structurally , the restaurant was still sound , but
The Trolley Stop Inn ’ s Famous White Pizza . we remodeled and replaced everything — from the drywall , to all-new refrigeration , deep fryers , kitchen equipment and computers . All of our phones were completely ruined , too , and needed to be replaced . The damage was one thing , but the complete lack of revenue coming in was another . It wasn ’ t anything I couldn ’ t overcome , but it was tough . It made all the difference in the world to have the support of friends , family and employees there to help with the heavy lifting those first few weeks of restoration , including the support of my GM , Richard Wolfe who started at the restaurant three weeks prior .
How did the community respond ? It was unbelievable . I ’ m grateful for the incredible response we received from everyone . We had 40 to 50 volunteers come out and pitch in with the cleanup . I had friends and neighbors come out to help — it was a humbling experience to learn how many friends I do have . They were all incredible and selfless . In addition to their help , Allegheny County was very supportive with visits from Congressman Conor Lamb and Allegheny County Executive , Rich Fitzgerald and PennDOT who helped us with the recovery of our parking lot ; as well as with their public works department who removed all of the debris left behind from the storm . Our customers and staff were rescued by several local fire departments . Our cleanup started every morning at 7 a . m . until it turned dark outside — we worked seven days a week . During the initial weeks of construction , many businesses provided us with food . In addition to owning the restaurant , I also own Mitchell Plumbing and Heating , so I have contractors and affiliates I work with who also came to our rescue . I knew everything could be fixed materialistically , but in that moment I knew I had to continue to pay the staff something
Art Mitchell , owner of Trolley Stop Inn
so they wouldn ’ t be without income . After all of that had been taken care of , I called the Allegheny County Health Department for inspection and began to restock our beverages and food on the menu .
What ’ s on the menu ? Homemade pizza ( White and Traditional ), oven-baked hoagies ( from Cappicola , Cheese Steak , Deluxe Italian , Tuna Salad and Turkey to Salami and Vegetarian ), wings , salads ( including , but not limited to , a Harvest Salad , Grilled Chicken , Cajun Salmon Salad and Buffalo Chicken ), pastas such as Chicken Parmesan , Meatball Casserole and Spaghetti with Meatballs , appetizers , sandwiches , wraps and side orders of onion rings , meatballs with sauce and cheese and Macaroni and Cheese , to name a few . Plus there ’ s a 24 ’ frost rail at the bar to keep what ’ s on tap cold , such as Modelo Especial , Stella Artois , Blue Moon , Yuengling , Helltown Brewing Mischievous Brown Ale , Guinness Draught , Angry Orchard Crisp Apple , Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale , Miller Lite and Bud Light .
What led you to open the restaurant ? I was a plumbing contractor and worked for a guy who had a pizza shop , and we became friends . He offered me to be a partner in the shop . I told him I had to own the building before I became a partner . So , I bought the building and together , Joe Cava and I owned the pizza pub for 30-years until he retired from the business six years ago . With regard to our restaurant name , there was a trolley that once stopped at the bar . And , at one time , Port Authority was refurbishing all of the old trolleys , so I was able to get a few parts from an old trolley including its used seats , lights and the ceiling . We had a section of the restaurant that looked just like a trolley .
What tool can ’ t you live without ? Integrity — it ’ s the most important tool a business owner should have . n
— Reese Randall
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