Bistro for Market Square (Pittsburgh, Robinson Township: leasing, high school, college)

[BrianTH]

I agree Chipotle is an unexciting but perfectly acceptable tenant for the space. It is a staple place for a lot of people I know, and I think it fits with the general idea of Downtown becoming more of a residential area.

[pman]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I agree Chipotle is an unexciting but perfectly acceptable tenant for the space. It is a staple place for a lot of people I know, and I think it fits with the general idea of Downtown becoming more of a residential area.

I imagine there's a substantial lunch crowd as well

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by pman

I imagine there's a substantial lunch crowd as well

Definitely. Grabbing something from Chipotle and then sitting in the Square for lunch will undoubtedly be a popular option.

[Blackbeauty212]

I LOVE CHIPOLTE! It will be a hit Downtown....in NYC I know no-one that dislike Chipolte and the lines at every store is around the block here from 12n til 2pm....

The Oakland store seems to be a serious hit with the workers and college students around the clock...Dowtown will be a success no doubt in my mind...They will probably wind up opening another one on the other side of town Liberty Ave around the Wilson Center.

[pman]

would something like this work for market sq?

It was called Night Market (because, yes, it was a street market held at night) and by 7:32 last Thursday evening - the light fading, the fountain at East Passyunk and Tasker sparkling - it was clear the mere words alone had held out the promise of magic.
Thousands turned out, milling in the streets, low-key and mellow, though not always well fed: The line for tacos al pastor stretched 65 deep at the Los Taquitos de Puebla's curbside tent. Outside the window at Honest Tom's truck, 44 more souls waited - and waited. Ballpark lines!

Read more: Night Market vendors in South Philadelphia satisfy a hunger for community | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/14/2010
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by pman

would something like this work for market sq?

I would think so. The daytime markets in the Square have been a big hit, and I think there are enough people around Downtown at night to make it work. You just need to give them a reason to gather, and it looks like people like this sort of idea.

Edit: By the way, this is a bit tangential, but the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership has done a couple resident surveys, and one of the things that came out of comparing the surveys is that safety, which was a relatively low concern to begin with, was even lower in the most recent survey.

I'm bringing this up because I would think one theoretical impediment to a night market could be concerns about safety. But it looks like that wasn't an issue in Philly, and I think it wouldn't be an issue in Pittsburgh either.

[pman]

yeah, the one in philly was a neighborhood commercial strip in south philly but its the same idea. safety is always a concern for some but i dont suspect crime is much different downtown as on passyunk ave pictured there. a nice night in early summer might be a good pick.

[BrianTH]

I'll find a way to mention this to the Downtown Partnership--it is a good idea.

[IamMoe]

As I mentioned in a prior post, I am currently forming a new Market Square Merchants Association with the other business owners in the Square. We are going through a planning exercise for potential events in the Square for 2011. I would love to hear the thoughts and ideas of the group on potential events and uses for the Square. We have several ideas as business owners, but input from those who are potential attendees of our programming would be very helpful.

[Burghgirl17]

Originally Posted by IamMoe

As I mentioned in a prior post, I am currently forming a new Market Square Merchants Association with the other business owners in the Square. We are going through a planning exercise for potential events in the Square for 2011. I would love to hear the thoughts and ideas of the group on potential events and uses for the Square. We have several ideas as business owners, but input from those who are potential attendees of our programming would be very helpful.

Nothing that includes bands playing during the workday. My office faces Market Square so I am subject to that racket during my workday, lol. Especially bad bands - there was one last week that was terrible. I know I sound like a grump, but it can be pretty annoying because there's nothing I can do about it.

I'd love to expand the farmer's market to include more vendors and more actual farmers. I wouldn't be downtown on weekends, but do think that a similar farmer's market on the weekends could be a draw.