Latrobe businesses prep for ‘big change’ without Steelers
Walk into Dino’s Sports Lounge in Latrobe, and it’s obvious you’re in Steelers Country. The first table next to the bar features a showcase adorned with vintage mugs and photographs from the 1970s, and the Steelers are prominently featured all over the sprawling space.
For four weeks every July and August, Steelers players and coaches eat and drink here, less than a mile from where they train at Saint Vincent College. Last year, Santonio Holmes, the 2009 Super Bowl MVP, mingled among patrons on a particularly busy night. Other times, fans might spot quarterback Ben Roethlisberger treating his offensive linemen to dinner.
Those summer scenes will be
absent from Dino’s and other Latrobe-area businesses this summer. The NFL has told teams to stay home for training camp because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Steelers will train for the 2020 season at Heinz Field, ending a run of consecutive camps at Saint Vincent that goes back to 1966. Team president Art Rooney II has already said the Steelers will return to Latrobe in 2021, but Dino Decario, who owns and operates Dino’s restaurants in Latrobe and Greensburg, is bracing for a tough summer ahead.
“It’s going to be a big change for us,” said Mr. Decario, who said he sees a 3040% increase in business when the Steelers are in town. “I’ve been in business for 31 years, and the Steelers have been here that whole time. And it’s not really about the Steelers and the coaches as much as the fans and the media, and the people that are attracted to the area. It’s a big hit for everybody.”
Part of the charm of Steelers camp in Latrobe is the free access. Fans who don’t have season tickets or can’t afford to attend a game at Heinz Field — where singleticket prices regularly reach triple digits — can get up close and personal with their favorite players on Saint Vincent’s campus. They come from different states and countries to soak in the atmosphere. They sit in the stands at Chuck Noll Field for a practice and then line the path back to the locker room for autographs afterward.
The access is similar at local establishments. Players who tire of the camp offerings at Saint Vincent venture out for some wings — the specialty at Dino’s — or other late-night fare after burning away the calories during practice.
“Let’s be honest, you know that’s why a lot of the fans come in,” Mr. Decario said. “That’s why we’re busy every day. We get a lot of coaches and players. Everyone wants that glimpse. ‘Hey, I was sitting next to Coach [Mike] Tomlin or JuJu [Smith-Schuster].’ That’s an important time for everybody and a busy time for us.”
Latrobe is only 2.3 square miles, and a few spots dominate the business of the Steelers and their fans. Sharky’s Cafe, which is a stone’s throw from Dino’s along Route 30, and DeNunzio’s, the wildly popular Italian restaurant located at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, are two other popular hangouts.
The Steelers usually hold a dinner for their coaches, front office and other training camp personnel at DeNunzio’s the night before camp begins. The crabmeat-stuffed hot peppers, fried zucchini and calamari are favorites among the Steelers coaches and scouts who frequent the dining room throughout the summer.
“They’re going to be missed,” said Amy Templeton, who manages all three DeNunzio’s locations in Latrobe, Jeannette and Monroeville. “It’s something the community really looks forward to every year. It brings in a very big crowd, and it certainly helps the restaurant. [Fans] come before or after they go to camp . .... We really got to know all the coaches and staff.”
Dino’s, Sharky’s and DeNunzio’s reopened at half capacity Friday, the day Westmoreland County entered the green phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s statewide reopening plan. It’s a small start in what they know will be a long recovery.
There’s hope next year will treat them much better. In addition to the Steelers’ expected return in summer 2021, the Westmoreland County air show, which features the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, is set to return after a one-year hiatus due to an expansion project at the airport. The air show, which is scheduled for May 29-31, 2021, is one of the bigger weekends of the year for hotels and restaurants in the area.
“There is always a light at the end of the tunnel,” said John Huemme, who has owned Sharky’s for the past 13 years. “We’re all looking forward to 2021. When we heard the news about training camp last week, we all said, ‘2020 strikes again.’ First it was the pandemic, and now this. I don’t think 2020 can get much worse.”