The Allegheny County Health Department has denied a permit to reopen the Cycle Diner next to the Gatto Cycle Shop in Tarentum.
The classic 1949 stainless steel, O’Mahony diner is attached to the Gatto Harley-Davidson showroom at the corner of Wood Street and East Sixth Avenue.
During the pandemic, two food operators tried unsuccessfully to reopen the diner.
The county rejected the latest plan to reopen the diner because customers have to pass through a food preparation area — an aisle between two lunch counters — to access the restrooms, said a county spokesman.
“I don’t know what to do,” said Mark Gatto, vice president of Gatto Cycle Shop. His father, George Gatto, bought the classic diner in 1990, formerly known as Digger’s Diner and the Butler Diner in Butler.
“My father, now 82, polished every bolt and panel in this place and it’s driving him nuts that I haven’t found a solution,” Gatto said. “It’s his pride and joy.”
When the Gatto patriarch bought the diner, younger family members didn’t get the charm of the nostalgic dining car initially, Gatto admitted.
But they came to understand the history and their father’s passion for restoration work.
“The diner has become very sentimental and prestigious to me,” Gatto said. “It’s like a trophy.”
Although the senior Gatto refurbished the diner, the layout of the booths, counter, grill and food preparation areas have stayed the same. The diner opens into the motorcycle shop where the restrooms are located.
The health department approved previous restaurant plans, including the initial opening by Gatto in 1993 and then plans of at least five other food vendors through the years, Gatto said.
“Reaching the restrooms is still the same,” Gatto said. “There is a walkway through the center of the counter. It’s been this way since the 1940s.”
Gatto is puzzled why the county won’t allow patrons down an aisle about 6 feet away from a food preparation area while patrons are allowed to sit at a counter only 3 feet away from food operations.
“The toilet rooms for customers cannot be accessed through food preparation or food storage areas,” said Chris Togneri, a spokesman for the Allegheny County Health Department.
“We can’t speak to what happened in 1993 when they started operations,” Togneri said. “All we can say is that permits are issued under a certain set of conditions for the facility to operate under, and the plans they submitted in July last year did not receive approval.”
The Cycle Diner is still home to the original 18 red bar stools and a full-size Wurlitzer jukebox. Given its authentic features, Gatto’s diner was featured in the movie “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh” and in the PBS “Pennsylvania Diners and Other Roadside Restaurants” and other media productions.
Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Mary at 724-226-4691, mthomas@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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January 11, 2022 at 06:30PM
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Allegheny County denies permit for Tarentum's Gatto Cycle Diner to reopen - TribLIVE
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