Ross Township diner sustains damage from water main break
ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - Valliant's Diner in Ross Township is closed for repairs after a water main break damaged the 50s-era restaurant.
The family-owned diner has been on Babcock Boulevard for 55 years, and nothing like this has ever happened before.
"We got flooded; we had like inches of water on the ground," said Gerri Valliant, owner of Valliant's Diner.
Valliant's Diner isn't serving breakfast and lunch to their regulars this week.
The 50s-era diner with cool turquoise and yellow booths is a muddy mess with a lot of water damage.
On Saturday, there was a water main break on Evergreen Road, behind the diner. Water flowed into Valliant's Diner while people were enjoying breakfast.
"Saturday and Sunday are my busy days, and unfortunately, we had to exit people out because we didn't know what was going on. Water was coming in; it was pretty crazy," Valliant said.
West View Water Authority said they shut off the water for a few hours and repaired the line on Evergreen Road. They also helped clean up their parking lot.
Valliant said West View Water Authority has been very helpful. He said the diner will be closed as FireDex crews are making the proper repairs.
"They had to cut the walls, obviously, like 12 inches up because of the mold issue to make sure that there is none there, especially because we're in the food industry. The floors and the tiles have been lifted up. Fortunately, none of my equipment was hurt," Valliant said.
He said their decors, like Marilyn Monroe posters and photos of vintage model cars, will be taken down and stored safely until everything's fixed.
The beloved diner has been open since 1968.
"55 years, and this was just a freak thing. It happens," Valliant said.
He hopes they'll get to welcome their customers back soon.
"I've been getting a lot of phone calls all day from my customers. We have some families who are three, four generations who come in, so we've been here a long time, so yeah, it's nice that they're concerned," he said.
West View Water Authority said any damage that might have occurred would be handled through insurance.
Valliant said he doesn't know how long it'll take to repair the damage, but he's opening they'll be back open for business by next week.