A Lasting Legacy

A fish, an oyster and an iron city beer--welcome to the Oyster House.

Jen Grippo, 26, is the general manager at the Oyster House, located in Market Square. Her
father, Lou Grippo, bought the restaurant in 1970 after a troubled past with the previous owner.
As a boy growing up in the Strip District, Grippo was in charge of taking the other children from
his church to the YMCA swimming pool and getting them a fish and pop from the Oyster House
with money from his priest. Grippo would pocket the money and steal the food, much to
previous owner Louis Americus dismay. Grippo vowed to Americus that he would buy the
restaurant someday and fire him.
After Americus death in 1970, his widow sold the restaurant to Grippo, who was a Marine and
attorney at the time, on its hundredth birthday. He has been the owner for the past 46 years and
is determined to be the restaurants longest running owner. Americus owned the restaurant for 51
years.
The Oyster House has only had five owners in its 146-year history. This coupled with its
sustainability makes this restaurant a rarity in Pittsburgh compared to the plethora of new
businesses with shifting ownership.
One key to the restaurants success is hard work. Jen Grippo says that she is grateful for the
work ethic her father instilled in her. He leads by example by being at the Oyster House seven
days a week.
Grippo also credits the nostalgic food and atmosphere for the restaurants success. She said that
some customers are wary of menu changes, like when she tried to add lettuce, tomato, and onion
to the original fish sandwich.
No one wants it. They want the plain fish. They want to be able to doctor it up themselves with
the tartar and the hot sauce. Its a tradition for them. The process is the tradition.
Above all, Grippo thanks her Pittsburgh customers for the restaurants prosperity.
Its the people. One thousand percent, it is the people. I dont think you can find anyone more
loyal than someone who is from Pittsburgh, through and through, she said.
As for the future of the Oyster House, we will be here forever, Grippo promised. This
business will be here as long as Im around. That is my guarantee.

Jen Grippo, Oyster House

PG: So first of all, just tell me a little bit about yourself and what you do.
JG: Jen Grippo, 26, general manager here at the Oyster House. Ive been in this business
basically my entire life. I think if my dad had it this way I wouldve been born here because that
wouldve been more convenient so he wouldnt have had to leave the restaurant to come see me.
PG: So we picked to write about the Oyster House because its one of the only restaurants in
Pittsburgh, maybe the only one, that has been sustainable. Like Bravo Franco was and they
changed, but the Oyster House has remained the same. So most of the restaurants in Pittsburgh
are fairly new. How did your family get involved in this business?
JG: Well, its a funny story. This is more for my dad more so than us. He grew up in the Strip
District and his family was very involved in the church there and whatnot. The pastor of his
church said that they were going to make an agreement with the YMCA, which was down here at
the time, to allow the children to use the swimming pools and all that because at that time in the
mid to late 40s, only the Protestant children were allowed to use the YMCA. But his church
made an agreement that they could go. My dad was about 12 years old and he was in charge of
all of the children. Father Cox, he was the pastor there, and he would give my dad the money
and tell him to go to the Oyster House, get all of the kids a fish and pop and then go to the pool.
So they would go to the middle of the bar and order the fish sandwiches and pop and my dad
would pass it back and all of the kids would run out the side door. My dad would always be the
last one. Never paid for anything, they kept the money. The owner, Louis Americus, who my
dad eventually ended up buying it from, would yell at them and tell them he would have them
arrested. And the one day my dad was standing in the doorway, turned around and told him that
someday he would come back, buy the place, and fire him. Then he ran out the door. So many
years went by and my dad was in the Marines, he was an attorney, he did all of these things in his
life. One day he was out and about and got the newspaper. In the newspaper was an article
saying Mrs. Americus, Louis Americus widow because unfortunately Louis Americus passed
away, was looking to either sell the building or sell the business. From what we gathered, she
was like early 90s. And my dad said this was it, this is my time. He made this promise and he
kept it. He closed on the building in 1970 on its hundredth birthday. And then by 1972, he
acquired the two buildings on the other side. He expanded the business and that side is more
counter service. We use that third dining room for entertainment and things like that. He
actually saved this business. It almost died, like completely. It almost totally closed. He said
they were bringing in maybe a hundred dollars a day in business. My dad turned it around and

cleaned it up because he said it was a hot mess. Theres really no other way to explain it. It was
filthy. So he brought it back, put more menu items on. Over the years, my whole family has
worked here--my mom, some of my cousins, my brothers and sisters, all of us. We always grew
up here. Most of us went to Duquesne. We went to local high schools. If we felt sick and didnt
want to go to school that day, we were working. On weekends, we worked. In college, we
worked. Thats how we became involved with it. For me, that instilled a lot of wonderful values
for me as far as working. I dont take anything for granted. If I want something, I have to work
for it. I appreciate him putting me to work at a very early age. I was the resident ice cream girl
for a hot minute too and that was always a good time. I still make a good cone.
PG: So did your dad pass the business on to you?
JG: Well he hasnt necessarily passed it on.
PG: Is he still around here?
JG: Well right in this moment, he actually left for Florida today, him and my mom. So they are
going to be gone for a couple of days. But whenever hes in town, hes here every single day.
Were open 7 days a week and hes here 7 days a week.
PG: Thats nice to see though because at a lot of newer places, you dont even see the owners.
JG: Hes always walking around, working in the kitchen. He always has a good time with the
customers too. Thats really nice. He always tells stories because we do get a lot of stories about
people whose grandparents or parents brought them here. Its cool to be in that memory with
them.
PG: So did he buy it from the original owners?
JG: No. Well my dad is one of 5 owners total. For a business thats been around for 146 years,
to only have 5 owners is major. We dont know the full details of the other previous owners. We
do know that historically the first owner was Hugh Lynn (spelling?). There are these really old
photos of him and all of his employees. Its really crazy. These photos are like stuff you see in
movies with how they dressed and everything. And then the owner that my dad bought it from
had the business in his family from 1919 until his widow sold it to my dad in 1970. So right
now, they are kind of in a race. Currently, Louis Americus holds the title of having the Oyster
House for the longest period of time.
PG: How long did he have it?

JG: 51 years. My dad has had it for 46. So he has to hold out for 6 more years to get him to the
longest running owner.
PG: Do you think he can do it?
JG: Oh yeah. He isnt really comfortable with me telling everyone his age but he is 85 years old
and can still come into the business every single day and be here from 9 in the morning until 2 or
3 in the afternoon. His work ethic is insane. Hes worked his entire life. And especially
growing up when he did, it was hard. His father passed away when he was very young. My dad
was the sole provider for his mom and 2 sisters. Thats who he was from 17 until now. Its in his
blood to work. He always says if he didnt have this restaurant and all of us and his customers,
he doesnt know where he would be. For him, retiring was never an option.
PG: Does your mom come in a lot too?
JG: She comes in 2 to 3 times a week. Shes more of our accounts payable. Theres a running
joke around here that if I take my vacation, they call her the warden. She makes everyone do the
deep cleaning and the scrubbing. She says they might hate her for the day, but they will
appreciate when everything is sparkly and clean the next day. My parents have been together for
33 years and from the time that they were together, theyve always been in the restaurant
business. My mom has worked in all kinds of different restaurants managing fine dining, casual,
everything. She already had the experience. And whenever my parents got together, my dad had
7 Oyster Houses in places like Monroeville and Century III Mall.
PG: Are those still open?
JG: No. Theres another running joke because I was born in 1989 and all of the leases in the
malls were up around the time that I was born. So my dad always jokes that I was just too much
to handle so they had to close all of the other stores to focus on me. He tells everyone that.
PG: So he just chose to not renew the leases?
JG: Yes. It just became too much. My mom and him would wake up and go to every single store
all day long and then go home and go to bed. Then they would wake up and do the same thing
the next day. It was a lot. They loved it but it just became too much and they were really at a
point where they wanted to enjoy their time with their family. Of course, we really wanted to
focus on this particular business because this is the historical significance. This is where it all
started. So it made more sense for us to really focus on this business. And look how Market
Square has grown. To be able to be a part of that and be here for so many years is very unique
and very special.

PG: The building is a landmark right?

JG: Yes.
PG: When did that happen?
JG: I believe it was made a historic landmark in 1971.
PG: The year after you got it?
JG: Yes. I guess the process with the papers and everything took a while. Its interesting
because before the Oyster House, it was called the Bear Tavern. Unfortunately we dont have a
lot of information on the Bear Tavern, how it operated, what it was like. But that was way back.
From what weve gathered with our friends from the Heinz History Center, this building is well
over 146 years old. Theres been talks that its between 180 to 200 years old.
PG: So what do you think has been the key to your business success?
JG: Tradition, one hundred percent. Its about whenever you come in here, everyone is welcome.
If you want to have a good time, have a good piece of fish and just chill, welcome. Weve
always been consistent. Weve always been about the quality of our food versus the quantity of
it. Theres so many different factors that go into why were still here. Speaking from a personal
perspective, I grew up in this business but I didnt really know after college if this was something
I wanted to do. And my dad said if it wasnt something I wanted to do, thats okay. He told me
to give it a year, see how I liked it, really really full blown, every day operation. He said if I
didnt like it, at least I had a job while I was looking for another one. One day, I was on the floor
and there was a family that came in and the woman instantly started to cry. We asked her if she
was okay. This woman told us she had left Pittsburgh many many years ago because there
werent any jobs for her. She had to leave for her family to go find a job and move out of the
state to I think Maryland. She said her family used to come here all the time and she finally
came back after all these years and the first stop she wanted to make was the Oyster House. She
wanted to see if it was still here. She had heard about but she was hesitant because she didnt
know what to expect. So she said she remembered what table she used to sit at with her family.
Im getting emotional about it because it was just so touching. This is why we do what we do.
Its so special. How many people can say that about their restaurant or business?
PG: Especially with all of the new restaurants and businesses in Pittsburgh.
JG: Exactly. For me, that solidified why Im here and why my family and I do what we do. I
thought that was really cool.

PG: How has the business changed in your lifetime since youve grown up here? Has it
changed?
JG: Not really. There havent been a whole lot of changes. Other than renovations that weve
done to the other side, there hasnt really been too much. We add on different menu items.
Weve brought in different entertainers. We have a gentleman, his name is Frankie Capri. He is
a hoot. Hes a one man band extraordinaire. Hes so great. He used to perform at the Lava
Lounge in Southside. Before that, it was called the Liberty Belle Tavern and thats where he
used to perform. The downtown partnership told us we had to have him in, so we have him over
there. Hes brought in a really wonderful crowd as well.
PG: How often does he come in?
JG: Hes contracted to do 4 Fridays and hes already done 2 so far. He was here April 29, May 6,
and then he will do this Friday and May 20. So hell finish out those 2 Fridays and then we will
look to maybe put bands or something in, entertainment stuff. But other than that, there really
hasnt been any real changes. I mean, its been interesting because weve sort of stayed the same
and stayed close to what we have always been as far as the business. To see that survive through
the changes of Market Square and Downtown is very unique. I think if we didnt have our
customer base, we really wouldnt be anything. They have such a strong connection to this
business. And like we always say, if its not broken, dont fix it. If we have something thats
working for us, why go ahead and change that? Weve tried little things like altering the fish
sandwiches so they include lettuce, tomato, onion. No one wants it. They want the plain fish.
They want to be able to doctor it up themselves with the tartar and the hot sauce. Its a tradition
for them. The process is the tradition. Having a fish, an oyster and an iron city beer--welcome
to the Oyster House.
PG: How has Pittsburgh played a part in the success of the business?
JG: Its the people. A thousand percent, it is the people. I dont think you can find anyone more
loyal than someone who is from Pittsburgh, through and through. Its funny because some of our
customers get uncomfortable with change sometimes and thats not a bad thing. Thats not
necessarily a bad thing because the people here in Pittsburgh accept and embrace the change but
they want to make sure that its benefitting the city. They make sure that their city is still their
city in a flourishing, fabulous kind of way. I dont know how our restaurant would really be if it
were in another state or city. The people, one hundred percent. Pittsburgh is the best. I love it.
Theres so many things to do here and so many unique places to go and discover.
PG: Where do you see the future of Market Square and the future of the restaurant going?

JG: As far as the restaurant, we will be here forever. If I have someone who eventually follows
in my footsteps and takes after me, depending on how good my genes are and I live to be the age
of my father. This business will be here as long as Im around. That is my guarantee. As far as
Market Square goes, if we continue to do everything that we do here now with entertainment,
businesses, hotels, and restaurants and continue to communicate about how to better the Square,
the only place to go is up. Like having hotels here, I love that. There are new apartments and
people who are intrigued to come Downtown and explore. Even with things that the CDC does,
promoting downtown living. That is working and is creating a curiosity. Its bringing questions,
which is good. What are our options? We have a grocery store, a plethora of restaurants. Me
personally, Im looking for some shopping. We have some cute boutiques down here that I love.
Ive only gotten to meet a couple owners of some of these boutiques around here and they are
just wonderful because they are about promoting not only their business but a flourishing
downtown. I think if we have more people who want to invest their time and money into being
here, thats a great thing.
PG: And it is unique that different businesses support each other because you dont find that in a
lot of places.
JG: Its different but it is nice. Its almost like a community that we have here downtown. I
think that especially with the restaurants, whenever you take a step back here, a lot of the owners
are families. Nicholas Coffee, thats a family right there that has been here for many, many
years. Even Vallozzi's, even though they arent necessarily in Pittsburgh, they still brought their
product to Pittsburgh. Once again, a family owned and operated business. Theres all these
different families that want to help in promoting and bringing back the Pittsburgh that they grew
up in. Its just really wonderful. Even the corporate owned companies, their management is
great too and fun to work with. They have their rules that they have to go by, but overall, if
theres ever something that they can participate in or be a part of, they do so. I appreciate that
and I think all of us really do.