Stephen Santa says he was once a regular customer at Il Pizzaiolo in Mount Lebanon. Santa said he won’t be going back after he spotted employees not wearing masks during a time restaurants are encouraged to increase COVID-19 mitigation efforts.He took to Facebook Tuesday night in a now viral post to inform his friends, family, and the public on what happened.Here’s a timeline of events:June 9thStephen Santa went to Il Pizzaiolo on Washington Road with a group. Before he went, he called ahead to see what measures the restaurant took to ensure customers were safe.”I was told they were following CDC guidelines and they were going to have the restaurant at 50% capacity,” said Santa.However, Santa said when he arrived at the restaurant, tables were too close to each other and employees weren’t wearing masks.His group requested outside seating, and after finishing their meal, Santa said they left. As he left, he said he noticed the restaurant was at more than 50% capacity; packed in fact. In the Green Phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan, restaurants can only operate at 50% capacity.After leaving, Santa says he mulled over the idea of calling the restaurant and eventually decided to do it to get answers. A manager answered the phone.”When I asked her about the tables being 6 feet apart, she asked me if I’d brought a tape measure and measured the tables, which obviously I hadn’t,” said Santa.Santa said he the requested the owner’s contact information and submitted an email, which you can see here:This is the email Santa said he received from Il Pizzaiolo owner Ron Molinaro’s:”Honestly, I was very shocked by his response,” said Santa. “One of the reasons I chose to reach out to him privately in an email was because we do patronize the restaurant, almost monthly.”Molinaro responded to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4’s request for a comment on this story via email:”It is my position that the mask is certainly helpful and recommended in certain situations. il pizzaiolo is a very busy, physically demanding restaurant. The mask quickly becomes saturated with sweat, vapor and bacteria and is very unsanitary. Staff would constantly need to change it and fuss with it. In our case it would do more harm than good.”You can read the full email response here.June 10thSanta said he filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Department of Health through an online portal. At last check, he said he hadn’t heard a response.Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reached out to the department on this, specifically asking:Had the department received a complaint about Il Pizzaiolo?Was the restaurant cited?Because the policy regarding masks in Pennsylvania excludes workers who suffer from medical conditions, couldn’t an entire staff claim they had a condition to prevent wearing a mask, i.e. a loophole?This is the response we received:The Wolf Administration wants Pennsylvanians to take steps to protect each other. My mask protects you and your mask protects me. There is no requirement that an individual provide a doctor’s note saying they have a medical condition. We expect Pennsylvanians to protect the health of one another, particularly those working in fields where they are interacting with the public or in food preparation.There has not been any enforcement actions taken against this facility at this time. However, people can submit concerns regarding individual businesses on our website. Restaurants are included in the businesses that are required to follow the Worker Safety Order. The order states what businesses must due to protect the health of employees and customers (if public-facing), and also what steps are required when there is a positive case at a facility.Restaurants are expected to follow state guidance available here: https://www.governor.pa.gov/covid-19/restaurant-industry-guidance/.The response did not directly respond to the aforementioned loophole. June 22nd:The Allegheny County Health Department performed a health inspection on Monday at Il Pizzaiolo.It found the restaurant was in violation of not wearing masks, among other health violations. Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reached out to Allegheny County Communication Director Amie Downs, who said the restaurant was cited. When Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 went to the restaurant Wednesday afternoon, employees weren’t wearing masks. Some of them walked through a door with the Italian word “cucina,” or kitchen, on it.The inspection results said no employees were wearing masks because they told the manager the masks were uncomfortable, but masks were provided.June 23rd:Stephen Santa wrote his Facebook post calling for people to not eat at the restaurant and explaining the no-mask situation.Santa said he waited 15 days to make the post because he needed time to think over what he was going to do, but he also didn’t want to detract from the Black Lives Matter movement by pulling focus from the public and placing it on himself.”I wasn’t asking for a refund,” said Santa. “I wasn’t asking for a refund or making any sort of demands. I was simply asking for transparency. Did not seem like he valued his loyal customers at all at by the way he responded to my email.”
MOUNT LEBANON, Pa. —
Stephen Santa says he was once a regular customer at Il Pizzaiolo in Mount Lebanon.
Santa said he won’t be going back after he spotted employees not wearing masks during a time restaurants are encouraged to increase COVID-19 mitigation efforts.
He took to Facebook Tuesday night in a now viral post to inform his friends, family, and the public on what happened.
Here’s a timeline of events:
June 9th
Stephen Santa went to Il Pizzaiolo on Washington Road with a group. Before he went, he called ahead to see what measures the restaurant took to ensure customers were safe.
“I was told they were following CDC guidelines and they were going to have the restaurant at 50% capacity,” said Santa.
However, Santa said when he arrived at the restaurant, tables were too close to each other and employees weren’t wearing masks.
His group requested outside seating, and after finishing their meal, Santa said they left. As he left, he said he noticed the restaurant was at more than 50% capacity; packed in fact. In the Green Phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan, restaurants can only operate at 50% capacity.
After leaving, Santa says he mulled over the idea of calling the restaurant and eventually decided to do it to get answers. A manager answered the phone.
“When I asked her about the tables being 6 feet apart, she asked me if I’d brought a tape measure and measured the tables, which obviously I hadn’t,” said Santa.
Santa said he the requested the owner’s contact information and submitted an email, which you can see here:
This is the email Santa said he received from Il Pizzaiolo owner Ron Molinaro’s:
“Honestly, I was very shocked by his response,” said Santa. “One of the reasons I chose to reach out to him privately in an email was because we do patronize the restaurant, almost monthly.”
Molinaro responded to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4’s request for a comment on this story via email:
“It is my position that the mask is certainly helpful and recommended in certain situations. il pizzaiolo is a very busy, physically demanding restaurant. The mask quickly becomes saturated with sweat, vapor and bacteria and is very unsanitary. Staff would constantly need to change it and fuss with it. In our case it would do more harm than good.”
You can read the full email response here.
June 10th
Santa said he filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Department of Health through an online portal. At last check, he said he hadn’t heard a response.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reached out to the department on this, specifically asking:
- Had the department received a complaint about Il Pizzaiolo?
- Was the restaurant cited?
- Because the policy regarding masks in Pennsylvania excludes workers who suffer from medical conditions, couldn’t an entire staff claim they had a condition to prevent wearing a mask, i.e. a loophole?
This is the response we received:
The Wolf Administration wants Pennsylvanians to take steps to protect each other. My mask protects you and your mask protects me. There is no requirement that an individual provide a doctor’s note saying they have a medical condition. We expect Pennsylvanians to protect the health of one another, particularly those working in fields where they are interacting with the public or in food preparation.
There has not been any enforcement actions taken against this facility at this time. However, people can submit concerns regarding individual businesses on our website. Restaurants are included in the businesses that are required to follow the Worker Safety Order. The order states what businesses must due to protect the health of employees and customers (if public-facing), and also what steps are required when there is a positive case at a facility.
Restaurants are expected to follow state guidance available here: https://www.governor.pa.gov/covid-19/restaurant-industry-guidance/.
The response did not directly respond to the aforementioned loophole.
June 22nd:
The Allegheny County Health Department performed a health inspection on Monday at Il Pizzaiolo.
It found the restaurant was in violation of not wearing masks, among other health violations. Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reached out to Allegheny County Communication Director Amie Downs, who said the restaurant was cited.
When Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 went to the restaurant Wednesday afternoon, employees weren’t wearing masks. Some of them walked through a door with the Italian word “cucina,” or kitchen, on it.
The inspection results said no employees were wearing masks because they told the manager the masks were uncomfortable, but masks were provided.
June 23rd:
Stephen Santa wrote his Facebook post calling for people to not eat at the restaurant and explaining the no-mask situation.
Santa said he waited 15 days to make the post because he needed time to think over what he was going to do, but he also didn’t want to detract from the Black Lives Matter movement by pulling focus from the public and placing it on himself.
“I wasn’t asking for a refund,” said Santa. “I wasn’t asking for a refund or making any sort of demands. I was simply asking for transparency. Did not seem like he valued his loyal customers at all at by the way he responded to my email.”
