24/7 Diners

Submitted by HarpPgh t3_1268qxu in pittsburgh

I understand Covid ended a lot of these, but are there any 24/7 Diners left in Western Pennsylvania?

66

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

penguinsfan40 t1_je87d2j wrote

Not a diner but Sheetz might be one of the only options for 24/7 anymore

115

Parsley_Just t1_je89syl wrote

Only one I know of is Dean’s Diner, I think, on 22 down Blairsville? Unless I’m misremembering

76

sparksofthetempest t1_je88qp0 wrote

Used to be you could jump on the Turnpike and get food all night at the rest areas. Now even that’s gone. Starbucks couldn’t even get enough staff to remain open at at least two locations during regular hours (I travel statewide all the time) and closed. The ones that are open sometimes often have only one employee and they close early.

48

JAK3CAL t1_je8efj9 wrote

used to always stop at a big overpass rest stop in Angola, NY traveling between WNY and the burgh. So I’m in like my fourth trip back and forth this month and it’s like 2AM I’m exhausted and I decide to stop bc it’s been quite a few years and I was gonna grab a milkshake or something. Walk in… complete ghost town. No business at all it looked like

31

sparksofthetempest t1_je8g65n wrote

Yeah, as an older guy I guess I took this stuff for granted but it really made life better for lots of reasons. We’re really in dark times when one of the most heavily traveled thoroughfares in the country can’t pay enough to keep staff. It’s crazy.

35

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_je9p98c wrote

Nobody wants to work in a shitty industry serving demanding people to make shit money during a mass death event. And I can't say I blame them.

37

The_Wkwied t1_jea0dqn wrote

> can’t pay enough to keep staff

Would YOU want to work minimum wage graveyard shift? It's not that they can't pay enough, it is that people are up and tired of working their lives away for pennies to the tens of thousands of dollars their CEOs make.

20

ButtlickTheGreat t1_jea1kcg wrote

Look, I understand what you're saying here, but there are absolutely people who would be willing to work a night shift at a restaurant. Some people's lives just don't really accommodate working during the day for any number of reasons.

2

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jea6l1p wrote

> there are absolutely people who would be willing to work a night shift at a restaurant

 
I'd say that there aren't, since none of these places can find any.
 
Restaurant work fucking sucks and there's an ongoing mass death event that killed over 260K people last year, which spreads explosively in restaurants. There are reasons these places can't find labor.

−3

ButtlickTheGreat t1_jean1z5 wrote

Look man, any way you slice it, we're at the endemic phase of the pandemic. There are countless people braving the restaurant scene every day; what we have in the way of harm reduction is what we're going to get. You don't have to tell me about the pandemic, I did everything I was supposed to do and advocated for others to do the same. I respect the severity of it, I get it.

I would argue that employers aren't looking for these employees. I haven't seen "Help wanted: Night Shift" signs up at restaurants/diners. They're not trying to be open, that's why they're not open.

10

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jeapm6s wrote

> we're at the endemic phase of the pandemic.

 
You don't know what that word means and you're misusing it.

 
Covid is the leading cause of death in America that isn't heart disease or cancer and it's going to continue to be that for the foreseeable future. Restaurants are incredibly good at spreading Covid.

 
> what we have in the way of harm reduction is what we're going to get.

 
And if people decided their version of harm reduction was getting out of a risky profession that paid like shit, good on them.
 
Every restaurant in this city that's closed recently has cited staffing concerns as a major contributor. People don't want to risk their lives for shit wages. I know people who used the pandemic to get out of the hospitality industry entirely and I doubt they're the only ones.

−2

ButtlickTheGreat t1_jeb01nx wrote

You have an extremely abrasive way of talking to people. Anyone ever tell you that?

Endemic means that a disease has a constant presence with a population; I am very aware of its meaning and used the word to describe what I intended to say accurately.

>People don't want to risk their lives for shit wages. I know people who used the pandemic to get out of the hospitality industry entirely and I doubt they're the only ones.

I also know people like that, and good for them. I also know people who turned 17, 18, and 19 during the pandemic. They are qualified to do exactly nothing and their parents aren't going to pay for them to be unemployed into perpetuity. Fuck the capitalist overlords (seriously) and everything, but these same people have to start working to start their lives and, again, are qualified to do nothing other than basic service industry jobs.

I don't know why you're so hostile to the idea, but COVID did not permanently kill late-night dining. This shit will work itself out eventually. There is demand, there will be supply. I too hate capitalism, but that's what we've got and its basic precepts will, as always, apply.

9

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jeb0yev wrote

> Endemic means that a disease has a constant presence with a population;

 
That's not what it means.
 
It means that a disease is present at a low level in a population, i.e. R0 =< 1. Once an endemic disease starts spreading in an uncontrolled fashion, it becomes an epidemic or a pandemic.
&nbsp;

AIDS is still considered an epidemic disease, for instance. Rabies is considered endemic to certain animals in North America because it's there, it just doesn't spread out of control all the time.

&nbsp;
Covid is too contagious to ever be endemic. At best we'll get measles-like oscillating waves of infection. It's going to kill 250K+ Americans per year in perpetuity and there are plenty of people living their lives with that bit of risk calculus in mind.

&nbsp;
> these same people have to start working to start their lives and, again, are qualified to do nothing other than basic service industry jobs.

&nbsp;
This is a bizarre way of looking at the workforce when over half of all young people go to college.
&nbsp;
No one owes the restaurant industry, or the restaurant patron, their labor. Nobody. If restaurants close because they can't make money paying their workers what they want to make, fuck 'em. There's a labor shortage, and that's life.
&nbsp;
A lot of the people who asked for better restaurant wages pre-pandemic and were told "GO GET A BETTER JOB IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT!" did exactly that - they went and got better jobs.
&nbsp;

> I don't know why you're so hostile to the idea, but COVID did not permanently kill late-night dining.

&nbsp;
Of course it didn't. It certainly did negatively impact it in a great way, though. Just like it impacted everything else. And it's going to keep impacting it for a long time.

0

YouBetterDuck t1_jebcg7v wrote

My daughter who is 15 got a job making $16 an hour working in fast food. It is amazing that there is so much demand for workers that she can do so well at such a young age!

6

TSOD t1_je9g9a5 wrote

That rest stop has always been great until Covid, since then I’ve never seen all the stores open at once. It’s a shame, it’s the only one before a long stretch of no rest stops so I try to stop there every time.

7

enraged_hbo_max_user t1_je9p4zz wrote

That Angola rest stop is legendary. Went to Rochester several times a year growing up and probably from age 3-8 I would stand on the overpass for 15 minutes and just watch trucks go under me lol

6

JAK3CAL t1_je9qdup wrote

Exactly, my fam is split between roc and pit. Angola as a kid was always the spot to have a picnic lunch and go pretend to play frogger on the overpass lol. Really depressing to see they killed it

2

James19991 t1_je9xyhp wrote

On the way to Toronto we always stopped at that rest stop, and it was always a little exciting because you only had about a half hour of driving left until you would cross the border from there.

1

tehfrod t1_jedhs7g wrote

I know that place... middle of the split lanes?

That is my usual stopping point otw to Rochester.

1

lifes_nether_regions t1_je9ng7a wrote

Man, I miss the old Eat-n-Park midnight buffet back in the early 90s. We'd show up at 1:00AM and eat like kings. Then hate ourselves the next day. But man, it was so good at the moment

42

ScarlaeCaress t1_je9o2ti wrote

Eat n park was always my go to after a concert night. Ahh the good ol days

11

lifes_nether_regions t1_jea24ul wrote

Yes, hitting the Robinson location on the way back from Star Lake and the place was just packed with ither concert goers. Fun times

9

TStrait21 t1_je8ircc wrote

Pretty sure there's still a 24/7 Denny's across the river from Oakmont (not sure what to call that area).

37

BmoresFnst t1_je8kf6w wrote

Harmar and it is 24 hrs

33

IansjonesPGH t1_je8f8ba wrote

Ended a lot of all nighters at Ritter’s.

32

MeetTheTwinAndreBen t1_je9a15j wrote

I’m going to be pissed if I learn that in the 3 years I’ve been gone both Howlers and Ritters have closed

5

toonman27 t1_je9cizy wrote

Ritters is still there, but they close at 8pm now.

18

The_Wkwied t1_jea0tp8 wrote

Worry not. Ritters is still open. Just not 24/7. And they still haven't washed their coffee machines! XD

7

half_monkeyboy t1_jeb1c1c wrote

I tell everyone that I take to Ritters that Ritters has "diner coffee". I absolutely love it but I expect nobody else to.

3

alymonster t1_jea71nv wrote

I don’t think my heart could handle losing both

3

MeetTheTwinAndreBen t1_jeayng5 wrote

Where’d the Howlers crowd migrate to?

It was my favorite bar I was so sad to hear it was sold :( I’m moving back in the next year and I’ll need a new spot

1

Pgh-matt t1_je88taf wrote

There is nothing anymore. I believe the closest is the wafflehouse in washington pa. Next closest are in ohio and wv to my knowledge

16

OneDwarfTwoSocks t1_je8yo06 wrote

Can someone open one? I promise I'll go, please I'm tired of Sheetz!

14

PGHxplant t1_je9gbcc wrote

Sure! Just be ready to pay $30 for those 2AM cheese fries and a coke. I'm sure the untapped market is huge.

8

uswforever t1_je9oj63 wrote

Have you been to Sheetz lately? That shit costs as much as a sit down dinner, and has for years now.

7

pittpajamas t1_je9nbw1 wrote

If I were the casino, and wanted some late night foot traffic (read potential gamblers), I would make some of the eateries in there 24/7. I mean the casino is open 24/7 anyway.

13

HarpPgh OP t1_jea9g7n wrote

That’s a good point. You’d think Waffle House would take notice and move in somewhere over there. I’m sure the one by Meadows makes a killing lol

5

trevorbenyack t1_jeeok2v wrote

I used to work at the casino in Food & Beverage. They don't want to draw a drunk, rowdy crowd (hence not going the 24/7 liquor license). But more than that, they run F&B almost as a separate business and adjust restaurant hours to maintain profitability. I personally didn't agree with closing many of the venues as early as they did/do, but it's just the business model they use.

2

pittpajamas t1_jef9hy5 wrote

Makes sense on the liquor license. Imagine if all of SouthSide just took the party to the casino at 2AM.

Interesting about F&B.

Thank you for the insight.

1

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jea664u wrote

The casino's late night customers are gambling addicts and they're there whether there's food or not.

1

pittpajamas t1_jeauls3 wrote

I've been there a lot of late nights. A lot of young people just drinking(until 1:30) and gambling a little. Especially Thursday,Friday, Saturday. I would argue that the addicts are more the daytime folks. Edit: Grammar

7

half_monkeyboy t1_jeb1o0p wrote

I always wondered if the casino was able to serve alcohol 24/7. This answers that. I wonder what time they start back up in the morning.

1

adamcp90 t1_jeayck1 wrote

You're missing the point. If you want to get a bite to eat and the only place open is the casino, you will consider going there when otherwise you wouldn't have set foot on their property. It's about attracting potential customers, not about selling food.

6

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jeaz9d3 wrote

I wouldn't really consider going there for food, the entire place is depressing.

−4

adamcp90 t1_jeazzp1 wrote

Do you speak for the entire population of Allegheny county? Maybe you wouldn't, but other random person who is up at 1:00am and looking for a bite to eat might consider it if it's the only option within a 30 minute drive.

4

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jeb06as wrote

The casino's purpose is making money, if they don't have a 24 hour restaurant there it's because they've already ran the numbers and figured out that they can't make money off your hypothetical.

−1

plastikstarzz t1_jec207d wrote

Or we just have jobs with weird hours & want a night out..

1

oldschoolskater t1_je8dzwh wrote

Tom's Diner in Dormont, if a time machine could take us back to 2016.

8

HarpPgh OP t1_je8gub7 wrote

Man.. my parents used to take us to the south side Tom’s diner with the buffet pretty close to 10-11pm sometimes after grade school basketball games. You’d definitely see some sights. It totally makes sense why that’s not around anymore with the way the Southside has shaped up. But the total demise of Tom’s/Folino’s/Penny’s is a shame. Such a Pittsburgh staple gone away

6

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_je9p38p wrote

> with the way the Southside has shaped up

&nbsp;
South Side is no worse today than it was a decade or two ago. It's always had a lot of weirdos. And that's fine.

0

drewbaccaAWD t1_je9vfld wrote

> with the way the Southside has shaped up.

If anything, it's better now than it's been in the past. There's all that development on the eastern end of Carson and a lot of the get embarrassingly drunk crowd has moved to different neighborhoods.

I miss the old chaotic south side though, if anything, it's just not as full of life as it used to be. Entire area used to be one big party but honestly, I felt more at risk back then with so many drunks stumbling onto the road. Now it seems frighteningly calm almost any time I go down there.

−1

tim0767 t1_je87fgs wrote

Not even Denny's is open 24 hours. Eat n Park?

5

jxrst9 t1_je88ka6 wrote

I don't think any of the Eat n Parks are 24 hours anymore.

19

HarpPgh OP t1_je89rte wrote

I think you’re all right sadly 🙁

4

chewskirdew t1_je8vytv wrote

Belle Vernon Denny’s is now back to being open 24/7

3

paddle_forth t1_je8840l wrote

I don't think so because even the ones at Turnpike interchanges like Cranberry and New Stanton close at 11

2

Key_Ear_1571 t1_je85y5y wrote

I thought they stopped being 24/7 awhile back. Did they start again ?

4

GarrettRettig t1_je9sd86 wrote

Diners>sheetz and Getgo but that’s what ya got mostly

4

humpthedog t1_je8so0f wrote

I’m not sure if it’s 24 hours but the Dennys on 48 in north Versailles is open until at least 2am.

3

nintante t1_je9ixsa wrote

There's an IHOP just before homestead on the Northside of it next to Hokkaido

3

EnnuiDeBlase t1_jeawqk6 wrote

Just on Saturdays :(

2

nintante t1_jeb52o0 wrote

Oh thank you, I didn't know I was just there one day and saw them advertising open 24/7

2

Hokiecivil t1_jeap6bf wrote

Anyone know if the Blue Flame in Clairton(?) is still open/any good?

I no longer live in the area but recall eating breakfast there at 0 dark thirty when I would occasionally go with my Dad to his jobsite at the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel project on the PA Turnpike in the mid '60's.

Great memories!

2

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jeawali wrote

I ate here once, four or so years ago, and it was the worst breakfast food I've ever eaten.

1

Hokiecivil t1_jeb913q wrote

Bummer...as a kid pancakes were pancakes, so I didn't notice. Think I was more mesmerized by looking at the dancing neon blue flame sign they had out front! Plus, it was with Pops and nothing else mattered.

2

ChaingaPaste t1_jedpsji wrote

IHOP is open from 7am Fridays till 10pm Sunday. It isn’t much but they stay open the entire weekend

2

SparkNoJoyThrw01 t1_je8ln81 wrote

Sheetz

Waffle House

1

htwhooh t1_je9ljv3 wrote

The closest waffle house is almost an hour away from the city limits.

3

SparkNoJoyThrw01 t1_je9nnnm wrote

Waffle house is the only restaurant around here that returned to normal operating hours after COVID sadly

It's also not the worst drive ever, 376 to 79 and out to Washington

I really just feel bad for the kids these days man, 1am and every Sheetz parking lot is full, not because Sheetz is just "the place to be", but because there's nowhere else to go that late.

6

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_je9p6fc wrote

> after COVID

&nbsp;
It isn't "after COVID", and a good indicator of that is that so many of these places are still operating on reduced hours, hope this helps.

−5

trask_ulgo t1_je9zidn wrote

Waffle House is a half hour drive from Lawrenceville with no traffic (so that fits middle of the night criteria). Not bad at all

3

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jea0mln wrote

> Waffle House is a half hour drive from Lawrenceville with no traffic

So it's never a half hour drive from Lawrenceville

3

trask_ulgo t1_jea17u0 wrote

I'm just saying it would be at midnight/1AM, so when you would need to go to a 24/7 restaurant

3

69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jea1n68 wrote

I don't think the sort of people looking to go to a restaurant at 1 AM are in any shape to drive to Washington, but YMMV.

2

late_apexes t1_jeb1hz2 wrote

It's an easy half hour and it's probably only 35 minutes even with traffic.

3

Mobius_164 t1_jegg9px wrote

Not many. The places that aren’t also gas stations are slowly dwindling. There used to be one over here near dormont, but that closed a few years ago.

1

newcitynewme724 t1_je9crpm wrote

Just another reason Pittsburgh is just not a real city. Nothing 24/7 short of 7/11 or Sheetz

−13

pittpajamas t1_je9mu7j wrote

My parents live in the Philadelphia area and are hard pressed to find anything that is open past midnight when they go out with friends. They have reverted to eating before the movie/show/etc. It is not just Pittsburgh.

4

James19991 t1_je9o4ak wrote

I was in the Baltimore area a few weeks ago, and they were saying the same thing. Few places are open after 10:00 or 11:00 anymore there too.

3