LATROBE, Pa. -- When Johnathan Huemme surveys the spacious surroundings inside Sharky's Cafe -- a place large enough to house more than 30 HDTVs, pool tables, a game room and two full-swing golf simulators -- he can't help but feel lucky.
The 37-year-old owner of the popular restaurant/sports bar just east of Saint Vincent College on Route 30 can seat between 600 to 700 customers at full capacity when counting his adjacent business, The Pier.
Even when operating at 50 percent capacity, as permitted in the green phase of Gov. Tom Wolf's process to reopen Pennsylvania from the coronavirus shutdown, Sharky's has the room to make up for lost business. He also has the necessities in place -- from a sanitation station to clear dividers surrounding the bar, which allow enough room for groups of four to hang out while practicing social distancing with others -- to stay in touch with suggested guidelines.
"Honestly, life is getting back to normal for us," Huemme said. "We've had such overwhelming support that backed us through the shutdown, that we're only down 15 percent from what we'd normally be right now, even at 50 percent capacity."
That's why Huemme, whose business sold its inventory as groceries during earlier stages of the shutdown, feels lucky.
But when he looks around, he also can't help but wonder.
What if Sharky's and The Pier were jammed packed with black-and-gold wearing, Terrible Towel-carrying Steelers fans for three to four weeks later this summer? What if the Steelers were permitted to hold training camp at Saint Vincent, where they were every summer beginning in 1966, instead of Heinz Field?
"We probably get about a 40 percent increase from regular business during training camp," Huemme said. "And training camp might have been a week longer this year. That would have really helped revenue."
During training camp, Sharky's regularly hosts radio shows. Steelers players and coaches walk through the doors. Fans flock there for food and adult beverages, discussing the day's events.
"It's definitely going to be different," Huemme said. "People travel from all over the world come to training camp. We won't get to see them. It's crappy that we won't get to see them."
A little further down the road on Route 30, Dino's Sports Lounge is another popular training camp hangout.
Known for its "wings of joy," Dino's, much like Sharky's, hosts radio shows during camp and Steelers players, coaches and fans regularly fill the place.
Owner Dino DeCario is feeling the sting.
"To be honest, not having training camp is a concern. It's just another letdown, another nail in the coffin," said the 58-year-old DeCario, who has run the business for 31 years. "We were hoping, but not expecting training camp to be here. It's another blow."
[caption id="attachment_998105" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Dino's Sports Lounge in Latrobe, Tuesday. - MIKE KOVAK / DKPS[/caption]
Dino's was open for takeout and curbside pickup during the shutdown, but DeCario estimated business was down "50 to 60 percent."
Since Western Pennsylvania went green, Dino's put two large tents in the parking lot containing socially-distanced picnic tables for outdoor dining, and he has hired back most of his staff, but missing out on an estimated 40 percent increase in revenue from training camp means another setback could be costly to his second location in Greensburg.
"There's a big rent payment for that one," DeCario said. "Another shutdown? I don't know if that can survive if there's another one."
DeCario and Huemme are confident their Latrobe-based businesses will survive. After all, they're part of the community fabric along with Jioio's and DeNunzio's Italian Chophouse at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. But both owners are worried about smaller businesses along the Route 30 corridor -- the ones yet to reopen because operating at 50 percent capacity isn't worth the cost and the ones struggling to regain traction since reopening.
Steelers fans such as Jeannette native Julie Gurnick are feeling lost, too. Gurnick attended her first training camp at age 8. It was 2004, Ben Roethlisberger's rookie year.
"I knew nothing about sports at the time," Gurnick said. "But I fell in love with Ben as soon as I saw him. I remember I had a knee brace and stitches at the time, but I ran down to the fence and watched him throw a pass to Hines Ward. From that moment on, I taught myself every single thing I could about the Steelers. One trip turned into a lifetime thing."
Eventually, Gurnick began attending training camp every year. Almost every day.
"The last eight or nine years, I missed a total of seven days," she said.
In a recent column for DK Pittsburgh Sports, Ramon Foster mentioned how fans wait at Walmart for autographs. Count Gurnick among that crowd. But, at the urging of a friend, she turned waiting for Steelers at Walmart into a social media event. (For those wondering, Foster and Maurkice Pouncey show up at the 2-minute, 53-second mark.)
There will be no waiting at Walmart this summer. No Dino's wings. No cold beers at Sharky's. No Friday Night Lights at Latrobe Memorial Stadium, an event that generally attracts 10,000 or more fans and raises funds for Greater Latrobe School District athletic programs and local organizations such as Latrobe Fire Department and Latrobe-GLSD Parks and Recreation.
"It's going to feel empty. It's an unfillable void, almost like a religion," Gurnick said. "It's like we're quarantined from the Steelers."
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Art Rooney II said the Steelers will return to Saint Vincent in 2021.
"But will everybody be back? Will it be the same? Is it going to be the way it was before this happened?" DeCario wondered. "I sure hope so, but I may be optimistic here."
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