Shawn Janovich did not expect to wake up Tuesday to pretty much nonstop interest in his restaurant, Bacon, Bourbon and Beer. But that’s what happens when you venture into Penguins territory.
The Washington, Pa., native’s restaurant is about to take over the 7,500-square-foot PPG Paints Arena space left vacant after TGI Fridays closed in 2020. This will be the third Bacon, Bourbon and Beer, with the original opening in Washington in 2016 and its Morgantown, West Virginia, offshoot following three years later.
But the alliteration continues: The more upscale Bacon, Bourbon and Beer will share the space with Janovich’s fast-casual Tacos, Taps and Tequila.
“7,500 square feet is a massive undertaking, and I didn’t think Bacon, Bourbon and Beer was a good fit for a 7,500-square-foot space,” Janovich said. “It’s more a sit down, enjoy yourself, have a couple of cocktails” spot.
Tacos, Taps and Tequila, he explained, is more geared toward folks needing a quick, less expensive bite before a game or concert. Its patrons will be able to sit down and order via a QR code, or order at a counter.
This will be the inaugural Tacos, Taps and Tequila, Janovich said, after he pulled the plug on plans for one next to the Morgantown BBB in the early days of the pandemic.
For those who remember the bar area at TGI Fridays at the Pittsburgh arena, Janovich said that area, which accommodated about 75 to 80 people, is where you’ll find Bacon, Bourbon and Beer.
With only cosmetic changes planned, he said, both restaurants will share a kitchen. While a hard opening date remains TBD, Janovich is gunning for the space to be open for private events by early next month and to the public early next year. “That’s the goal.”
Unlike the steady patronage at his other restaurants, he recognizes the unique challenges presented by a location that ebbs and flows according to Penguins seasons and the events calendar.
“We’re going to be very busy on event days and not very busy on non-event days,” he said. “How do we attract folks affiliated with the university, the hospital?”
It’s good to think about traffic patterns, especially in this Uptown area that’s courting change.
A 90,000-square-foot music venue, to be run by Live Nation, is planned for Wylie and Logan Street, with completion expected in the second quarter of 2024. Then there’s the UPMC expansion of Mercy Hospital, which is eyeing a 2023 completion.
More is slated to come: Tuesday saw the city planning commission give a preliminary review to a proposed 12-story Duquesne University dorm just blocks away on Forbes.
“Shawn is on the right track of getting in,” said Jared Imperatore, a vice president with JLL who, along with colleague Jose Raymundo, brokered the Bacon, Bourbon and Beer lease.
“PPG Paints has roughly 160 events a year,” Imperatore noted, adding that the Live Nation venue is “estimating 200 events a year.”
Janovich, he added, is also “passionate about the area.”
This isn’t Janovich’s first foray into Pittsburgh proper: He owned Pregame, a bar on the South Side, from 2010 to 2016, during which time he lived in Robinson, which he still calls home.
But on to the food. Janovich promised that the “core products” of BBB would remain, and that starts with the Bacon Flight, with two flavors of the four available, Sarris Chocolate Drizzle and Candied Jalapeño and Cheddar among them.
Burgers are also essentials, though, with an 18-minute cook time for the “no pink” temperature, his team is experimenting with quicker-to-prepare smashburgers. Regardless, the patties will be of the “same custom blend,” which Janovich prefers to keep secret but does give up that it includes multiple meats. Toppings will remain the same, he said, and you can bet that includes bacon.
Forty-plus bourbon offerings are available in 2-ounce pours, with Washington’s Liberty Pole, naturally, among the options. Rye whiskeys and whiskey flights are also available.
The Tacos, Taps and Tequila menu is still being solidified, but is expected to include several taco options (pork, chorizo, chicken), dips (guacamole, queso), fajitas and tortilla soup.
The tap system — 24 taps total — will serve both restaurants and focus on locals, seasonals and IPAs.
Polly Higgins: phiggins@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1960, Twitter @higginspolly, IG @pollyhig.
First Published: November 1, 2022, 8:14 p.m.
