Big News For Braddock (Pittsburgh, Allentown: homes, living in, restaurant)

[SteelCityRising]

Wow. First Polish Hill's beloved and dedicated civic association president steps down, and now one of our neighborhood's most famed residents is leaving. I'm excited for Braddock, but I'm also going to grieve a bit for Polish Hill. I'm getting tired of trying to explain to geographically-challenged people from as near as Baldwin of all places where Polish Hill is located. If we had more notable residents perhaps our image/reputation would rise enough so that people would actually realize WE exist, too. We don't even have a sit-down restaurant for crying out loud.

[BrianTH]

Braddock needs him a lot more than Polish Hill does.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Braddock needs him a lot more than Polish Hill does.

True. Sorry to get a bit overly-dramatic (not exactly a rare quality of mine). I just really love my neighborhood.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by greg42

Probably the most significant thing will be that it will draw people into Braddock that wouldn't otherwise go there. The foodies who want to go eat Sousa's food will not care that it's in Braddock as opposed to some other part of the Pittsburgh area. So they will come. This may or may not actually be useful for Braddock, only time will tell that I guess.

If it's successful it will attract other restaurants to the area which could spur growth.

[groar]

i don't think people associate sousa with polish hill anyway; i know i had no idea he lived there. most people associate him with east liberty since all his restaurants are there (or close enough).

[greg42]

Originally Posted by groar

i don't think people associate sousa with polish hill anyway; i know i had no idea he lived there. most people associate him with east liberty since all his restaurants are there (or close enough).

I've read enough about him on and off to know he lived there.

I was also going to make a crack recently about him riding his bicycle into East Liberty, as I'm sure he does. You guys probably saw that thread where it would have been posted....

[madg0at]

I'll preface this post by wishing Kevin Sousa the best on this new adventure and I will definitely try it when it opens because I have enjoyed his other restaurants and know the food will be great.

That aside, I am finding it difficult to compare this endeavor with his previous three establishments. Each of his existing places are in or around East Liberty (Salt is as far in to Garfield as Bakery Square is in to Larimer), an area he is quite familiar with and is centered around where his clientele already lives, dines and shops. Before he started his restaurants the area had already passed its inflection point upward so the risks he took, as far as geographical choice, were, in my mind, mostly in the minds of people who hadn't seen the changes happening that had started years before. East Liberty is accessible, has established business and residents, safe in the areas in question and has been trending further upward for quite a number of years.

Braddock has none of that and that is the root of the monumental risk Sousa is taking. Braddock has no business to speak of, no population, relatively inaccessible compared to other areas and is deader than dead. This endeavor wouldn't even be possible without the 340+k in grants and other sources to finance the 714k. That significantly mitigates the financial risk to Mr. Sousa. I fear that even if other businesses want to follow suit that they'll not have the ability to find support and financing to do so nor attract enough business to stay afloat. Kevin Sousa might be a local celebrity, but the next person probably isn't.

I might just not be "creative" or enough of a "visionary" to see the potential here, but I sure can count on all my fingers and toes the negatives, pit-falls and fallacies of trying to compare this project to his previous, successful, restaurants. Still I wish him all the best, he'll need every bit of it and Braddock sure can use a break.

[eschaton]

As I think about it, success for this restaurant and Braddock as a whole are closely linked. I can't see the restaurant taking off without causing demand for something else in Braddock as well (at least a bar within walking distance since the restaurant is going to have to get non-residents in to be successful, and they'll want something else to do in Braddock before/after eating).

[BrianTH]

I do think Braddock is a lot more accessible than many people think--arguably as good or better than The Waterfront, for example, for many people living in the East End.

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by madg0at

I'll preface this post by wishing Kevin Sousa the best on this new adventure and I will definitely try it when it opens because I have enjoyed his other restaurants and know the food will be great.

That aside, I am finding it difficult to compare this endeavor with his previous three establishments. Each of his existing places are in or around East Liberty (Salt is as far in to Garfield as Bakery Square is in to Larimer), an area he is quite familiar with and is centered around where his clientele already lives, dines and shops. Before he started his restaurants the area had already passed its inflection point upward so the risks he took, as far as geographical choice, were, in my mind, mostly in the minds of people who hadn't seen the changes happening that had started years before. East Liberty is accessible, has established business and residents, safe in the areas in question and has been trending further upward for quite a number of years.

Braddock has none of that and that is the root of the monumental risk Sousa is taking. Braddock has no business to speak of, no population, relatively inaccessible compared to other areas and is deader than dead. This endeavor wouldn't even be possible without the 340+k in grants and other sources to finance the 714k. That significantly mitigates the financial risk to Mr. Sousa. I fear that even if other businesses want to follow suit that they'll not have the ability to find support and financing to do so nor attract enough business to stay afloat. Kevin Sousa might be a local celebrity, but the next person probably isn't.

I might just not be "creative" or enough of a "visionary" to see the potential here, but I sure can count on all my fingers and toes the negatives, pit-falls and fallacies of trying to compare this project to his previous, successful, restaurants. Still I wish him all the best, he'll need every bit of it and Braddock sure can use a break.

The details are so fuzzy we have not idea if he had to put up any money. His residential loft on the other hand may require some personal investment. Other than the contractor there weren't any details disclosed on that project. Just a guess but he is probably getting the building from the county for next to nothing. Admittedly, this is probably is the going rate for a building in Braddock.