The Grant Bar in Millvale given tearful goodbye after nearly a century in business

MILLVALE, Pa. — A bar and restaurant that operated for nearly a century closed its doors forever on Saturday.

Channel 11 reporter Frederick Price was there for last call at the Grant Bar in Millvale.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Beloved Millvale restaurant to close after 90 years

“I’ve been crying most of the morning and most of the afternoon,” owner John Ruzomberka Jr. said.

It was a packed and nostalgic house on Saturday inside the Grant Bar. The walls were filled with pieces of a nearly century-old history.

“We’ve been through quite a few floods on and off, but we’ve always rebuilt it,” Ruzomberka said.

A placard served as a reminder of how the flood of 2004 impacted business.

For Ruzomberka, one of the many generational owners, as well as the staff and community, it’s also a testament to the bar’s legacy.

“We’re really going to miss everything, the people, the camaraderie of all the people who come into this place and kept us going all of these years,” he said.

The owners say that, since the announcement of the closure, business has been booming. On Saturday, only reservations were allowed as they expected to serve more than 130 dinners.

“Monday, we did over 200 dinners,” co-owner Joe Roethlein said. “Who in the hell does 200 dinners on a Monday night?”

Both co-owners say that age and other financial factors are the big reasons behind the difficult decision to close the doors.

“It’s time, and the prices are going up so high, and you don’t want to raise the prices for the people that are coming in that have come here year after year,” Ruzomberka said.

Long-time employees and customers both tell Channel 11 that seeing the bar close after all these years will take some time getting used to.

“We get to say goodbye, and we also get to grieve with each other because this is going to be hard for a lot of us,” bar manager Mary Richard said.

“It’s going to be a huge loss to Millvale and the Pittsburgh area,” a customer said.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2025 Cox Media Group