CHEF DENNIS MARRON OF MERCHANT OYSTER COMPANY IN LAWRENCEVILLE, WHICH CLOSED DEC. 4. THE OWNERS HAVE HINTED AT A POSSIBLE RETURN. | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

The end of 2024 marks the end of several businesses.

On Friday (the 13th no less!), Pittsburgh’s Hard Rock Cafe, a Station Square fixture for more than two decades, announced it is closing on Feb. 13, 2025. It’s the latest restaurant to leave the 52-acre entertainment complex in Pittsburgh’s South Shore neighborhood. Buca di Beppo closed in June followed by Joe’s Crab Shack in September. Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar remains closed. According to a statement from the company, it is temporarily closed for building maintenance.

“We were recently alerted to structural problems in the historic Station Square building where our restaurant is located,” the company said in a statement. “We immediately addressed the problems and made the decision to temporarily close the restaurant to give full attention to repairs. We are working extensively with the Station Square management team and third-party contractors to remedy these issues and to ensure our guests are provided with a safe and welcoming environment while dining with us. We continue to be in good standing with the Pittsburgh Health Department.”

Up in Mount Washington, Redbeard’s Sports Bar & Grill also is saying goodbye on Dec. 21. The tavern’s been slinging beers and bites for more than 30 years. Owner Len Semplice decided not to renew the lease on the Shiloh Street storefront and a new tenant is getting ready to rebrand. The company’s second location at 144 Sixth St., Downtown, will remain open.

Lefty’s in the Strip could be leaving its longtime Penn Avenue home. The lease is up in late January and the bar owners are searching for another Strip spot. The business recently opened a second location on Western Avenue in the North Side.

New Year’s Eve is the last night for both Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar and Osteria 2350, which are located next to each other in the Strip District and are run by the same team.

“Unfortunately, the pressures of running a fine-dining business have become increasingly untenable,” the owners said in a statement.

The last bash of the year is also the final roll of the dice for Black Lotus Pizza, gaming restaurant on the border of Bloomfield and Lawrenceville.

After 14 years in Aspinwall, Luke and Mike’s Front Porch is closing. They’re throwing a goodbye bash Dec. 27-28.

Sugar Spell Scoops, a popular vegan ice cream parlor, will not re-open its Sharpsburg headquarters after its annual January break, but is pursuing a different location for 2025.

After seven years on Butler Street in Lawrenceville, Merchant Oyster Co. stopped shucking on Dec. 4. In a social media post, the owners hinted at a possible return by saying they’re “going fishing … for a while.” They also launched a GoFundMe campaign to help their employees during the transition.

On Nov. 24, after a final Sunday brunch, Sultry Food & Bar called it quits on East Carson Street in the South Side. The Galley Group alum specialized in comfort food.

New Owners, Openings

PHOTO COURTESY OF HILLTOP COFFEE

It’s not all bad news: Brewers Hotel & Bar in Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh’s oldest gay bar, has been sold after months on the market. According to Sidney Sokoloff of Specialty Group, the landmark building will remain a safe space for the LGBTQIA community. It will remain open during the transfer of ownership.

Latino Spot Bar & Buffett, Pittsburgh’s first Latino buffett, opened in the former Fuel & Fuddle space at 212 Oakland Ave. in Oakland.

McMurray-based Mondays Brewing Co. opened a satellite location in Greenfield in the former Hough’s Taproom & Brew Pub at 563 Greenfield Ave.

There’s been a recent boom in new coffee shops.

Last month, De Fer Coffee & Tea opened a new location in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District at Penn Avenue and Eighth Street. The cafe offers both indoor and sidewalk seating, food, smoothies and locally roasted coffee, tea and other drinks.

Kinder Being Cafe debuted in October inside The Government Center record shop on the North Side.

After a brief hiatus, Hilltop Coffee returned to the South Side Slopes on Nov. 2. The shop, which opened during the pandemic, has teamed with local roaster Thomas & Fisk Ltd. at 2400 Arlington Ave.

The week started with the announcement that Mineo’s pizza will open a space at Pittsburgh International Airport in 2025 and Palm Palm, a Palm Springs-inspired restaurant, will make East Liberty — in the former Plum Pan Asian space in the Village of Eastside — a vacation destination.

Bon voyage!