There’s still time to own a piece of Pittsburgh’s Spaghetti Warehouse
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
If you’re one of the people who remember the Strip District’s Spaghetti Warehouse as much for its decor as its food, there’s still time to order something.
How about a church confession booth with a side of tin advertising signs?
The Pittsburgh location of the national chain, at 2601 Smallman St., closed on Aug. 28, after a 27-year run of pleasing families and other groups celebrating everything from birthdays to soccer tournaments. From its first days, the large restaurant was known for its kitschy decor and furnishings, which included a 45-foot trolley that seated 40 diners, mismatched chairs and tables, and walls full of junk — er, artifacts — ranging from license plates to neon beer signs.
Some of that stuff is still up for bid in an online auction that started Monday and ends at 9 a.m. Friday.
The auction, at used and surplus stuff seller RestaurantEquipment.bid, includes more than 270 items, many of
which are mundane kitchen gear. But if you register at the site, and are willing to pay a 15 percent buyer’s premium, you could bid on some more unusual items such as a wooden telephone booth, a stuffed buffalo head, a Mission Orange drink dispenser and a cast-iron Ruud water heater.
Bidding starts at $1 for each item. As of Wednesday afternoon, the highest bid was $505 for the confession booth.
“Why go to church when you can just do it in your own backyard?” quipped Neal Sherman, president of TAGeX Brands, which owns the Rochester, N.Y.-based online auction house. He has helped liquidate other Spaghetti Warehouses, and says they elicit special sentiment in their markets. “Most restaurants are fairly generic ... This stuff is real stuff, so it’s kinda cool.”
Like the old Barnes safe — complete with combination — that originally was the Carnegie Library’s. Or the men’s and ladies’ restroom doors. Or the model plane — a B-17 Flying Fortress — that flew from the ceiling.
There are a lot of real memories tied to some of it, for customers (who lined up for two weeks for last meals) as well as workers at the place. There’s a “Former Spaghetti Warehouse Pittsburgh Employees” Facebook page that Cindy Resiter started Aug. 15, right after she heard the news that the restaurant was closing.
The Cranberry network engineer worked as a bartender there from 1996 to 1998 and recalls how popular the confession booth was for kids, who’d step inside while waiting to eat.
She noticed that the auction doesn’t include all of the distinctive items that filled the restaurant. But there’s an interesting story behind that that’s still unfolding.
Michael Kim, vice president of BLD Brands, who oversees Spaghetti Warehouse, said he has to be out of the Strip District space by Sept. 22. So the company is shipping many items, such as stained glass works and older signs, to Dallas to be appraised. Some of it will wind up at other outlets around the country, perhaps at a new one in this area. Especially after the emotional reaction of diners here to the closing, he says, “We are absolutely determined to get back to Pittsburgh,” but probably in a more suburban location that better fits the chain’s customer demographics.
Some artifacts, such as the 25-foot-long Wright Brothers sign, could end up in museums. “We know some pieces are worth more than just being a prop in an Italian restaurant.”
And one piece simply would cost a lot to move. But if you’re willing to take it apart to get it out, you can bid on the trolley. It was added to the auction, due to popular demand, late Wednesday afternoon.
To bid or just look around at the auction, visit RestaurantEquipment.Bid.