Ben Roethlisberger’s days on the North Shore won’t end whenever he retires.
The Steelers quarterback has completed a deal to open a 7,100-square-foot restaurant in the seven-story office building now under construction on North Shore Drive near PNC Park and across the street from the Hyatt Place Hotel.
With the signing, Mr. Roethlisberger will be reunited with his former backfield mate, Jerome Bettis, who has his own restaurant on North Shore Drive just a couple of blocks away.
The quarterback will become the latest high-profile sports celebrity to open a restaurant in the region.
Mr. Roethlisberger’s ex-teammate, Hines Ward, has a restaurant in Seven Fields. Mike Ditka, an Aliquippa native and former Pitt tight end who played for and coached the Chicago Bears, has restaurants in Robinson and Wexford.
In addition, ex-Pirate Manny Sanguillen has Manny’s BBQ at PNC Park, and former Pitt and Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino is a partner in Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza restaurants at four locations in the region.
North Shore Seven, as Mr. Roethlisberger is calling the restaurant, is expected to open in spring 2019 in time for the start of the Pirates season.
The Steelers quarterback is teaming on the venture with longtime business partner Scott Kier. Mr. Roethlisberger is a partner with Mr. Kier in four other restaurants, the Savannah Taphouse in Savannah, Georgia, and King Street Grille in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Murrells Inlet, all in South Carolina.
On the North Shore, the two are planning a restaurant where everything from the entrees, sandwiches and sauces to the dressings will be made from scratch. The menu will feature appetizers, sandwiches and entrees. The bar will have at least 50 taps, including craft beers.
While Mr. Kier said the restaurant will be sports themed, he stressed that it will not be a sports bar per se, although those in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Savannah have won best sports bar honors.
The goal is to have more of a food-driven, family-friendly concept that will appeal to diners throughout the year — not just on game days when the North Shore is teeming with crowds.
What will separate North Shore Seven from the other restaurants and bars along North Shore Drive will be the food, Mr. Kier said. At the other locations in the south, “The food has always been the difference maker for us,” he said.
Mr. Roethlisberger has been looking to open a restaurant in Pittsburgh for more than two years, previously considering locations in the North Hills and at other spots along North Shore Drive.
According to Mr. Kier, he is paying close attention to North Shore Seven, looking to go above and beyond what the duo has done with the restaurants in South Carolina and Georgia.
“This is Ben’s little baby right now, other than the Steelers, of course,” said Mr. Kier, who is owner and operator of the four other restaurants. He and Mr. Roethlisberger first met during a golf outing a decade ago.
While a section of the restaurant will contain some memorabilia related to Mr. Roethlisberger’s football career, it’s not going to be “100 percent Ben everything,” Mr. Kier said.
Barry Ford, president of development in Pittsburgh for Continental Real Estate Companies, hired by the Steelers and the Pirates to develop the land between Heinz Field and PNC Park, said he had been hoping to bring the King Street Grille concept to the North Shore for some time.
“Having our hometown quarterback involved is a big bonus for us,” he said. “They have terrific restaurants in the low country of Charleston and Savannah. Their food is really good. They have an executive chef. They do their own menus. They make their own food.”
The restaurant will be located on the east side of the building near the water steps. There will be an outdoor dining area. The building will be anchored by German software company SAP.
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262. Staff writer Melissa McCart contributed to this story.
First Published: January 11, 2018, 11:30 a.m.
