Crawford Grill closes its doors…Blames poor foot traffic
by Christian Morrow
Courier Staff Writer
No Too Sweet Lounge, no James Street Tavern and now, with the closing of the Crawford Grill on the Square, there is one less place to see live jazz in Pittsburgh.
The Grill's last day was Jan. 7 according to a brief e-mail sent by owner Tom Burley two days later.
“It's sad, but we just couldn't generate the traffic we needed to run the business,” he said. “It was a beautiful place and it's Pittsburgh's loss. It's sad for me to send that e-mail, but I felt obligated to let our loyal supporters know what was happening.”
Burley and partners Les and Newt Montgomery opened the Crawford Grill on the Square in Station Square in July 2003 after more than a year of preparation.
Located in the old Funny Bone space in Freight House Shops, the 180-seat Grill featured a circular glass-topped bar, an enlarged balcony, semi-circular booths, a custom chandelier from Montreal, Canada and a unique menu offering the “best soul food in the state.”
The City Paper agreed, awarding it their “Best Soul Food Restaurant Award” three years in a row. Burley said, though people made the Grill a destination, coming for the music and the food, there wasn't enough walk-in traffic.
“There are probably a few different reasons, but the bottom line is we didn't get the sustained traffic,” he said. “It's the same problem they had at James Street.”
Burley, who also owned the Crawford Grill on Wylie Avenue in The Hill District until it closed in a 2002 bankruptcy, said it is way too early to think about what he'll do next.
“It's only been a day,” he said. “First we have to get past this, then well see about what's next.”
Jazz aficionado Dr. Frank Sessoms said he is sorry to see the Grill go.
“I liked the club, and the owners were friends of mine, and they genuinely tried to give us a good product,” he said. “I'm sad they didn't make it.”
Sessoms said he tried to help out by having his Christmas party there, but other factors worked against the club's success.
“The nightclub business is tough anyway, but they had high rent, weren't open for lunch business and you had to pay $7 to park there,” he said. “When CJ.'s opened, that hurt because it wasn't as expensive, and then when Chauncey's in Station Square closed, it took that crowd with it.”
Veteran jazz musician Nelson Harrison said the city doesn't know what it is losing when jazz clubs close.
“I think it's lamentable that Pittsburgh doesn't recognize its place in world music spectrum. We're the jazz capital of the world, but no one supports it,” he said. “The city would be a lot more attractive to people and businesses if we showcased our heritage. In my book the owners of the Grill should be celebrated for being entrepreneurs, for taking the risk and for trying to make the cultural landscape better.”
(Send comments to cmorrow@newpittsburghcourier.com.)