Health department receives complaints about water in basement of Pittsburgh restaurant
UPDATE: The Allegheny County Health Department confirms that sewage was found in the basement. Read more here.
The original story is below.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Allegheny County Health Department said it received multiple complaints from employees at a Lawrenceville restaurant over the weekend.
They are concerned about water that is backing up in the basement of Industry Public House.
"It smells bad, people are kind of disgusted by the fact that we're open and operating while there's waste in the basement," employee Haley Passione said.
Pictures sent to KDKA-TV show backup in the basement, where you can also see some equipment stored. It is unclear what, if anything, is in the water.
Passione told KDKA-TV's Mamie Bah that she filed a complaint on Saturday with the Allegheny County Health Department.
"I work there part-time, it's not my full-time job. So, I have the privilege of being able to speak out," she said.
Bah reached out to the establishment on Monday, and a manager said plumbers were at the restaurant. The building manager, Ed Bartosiewicz, said the same, and that he's been in contact with the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.
The restaurant manager said he doesn't believe there has been any cross-contamination, and customers who ate there on Monday told us the food tasted fine.
Passione believes the establishment should stop serving people until the issue is fixed.
"I would think they should be closed while it's being cleaned up. They've had managers down there in it trying to clean up. The managers on the floor running food, being around customers, which seems really unsanitary to me," Passione said.
A county spokesperson said the health department will continue to do its work.