🌭Heinz said they’ve had enough, doggone it

Plus, here’s your Sweet Sixteen Brewery Bracket picks.

By Francesca Dabecco

Welcome to Wednesday, Pittsburgh.

We hope you had a nice Fourth of July weekend! We watched fireworks light up Pittsburgh’s sky along the North Shore — it was spectacular. While it felt a bit weird to be in an unmasked crowd, it was amazing to see our city shining in all of its glory.

The sweetest part of watching fireworks this year? There was a couple right in front of us who got engaged right when the fireworks took off from the barge. 😍 💍 🎇 I didn’t catch their names, but if the newly engaged couple somehow happens to be reading this, we send our best wishes from The Incline!

After a long weekend, we’ve got lots to share with you in today’s newsletter: Pittsburgh restaurant owners take on national food delivery apps, a new collaboration between artists and small businesses, why you should take down those “We Buy Houses” signs, and Heinz tells hot dogs and buns it’s time to come together.

Plus, we have your Sweet Sixteen picks for The Incline’s Ultimate Brewery Bracket. Scroll on to see if your favorite made it to the second round, and don’t forget to vote for the Elite Eight!

What Pittsburgh is talking about

3 things to know today

🍔 State lawmakers are backing Pittsburgh restaurant owners in the fight against unfair fees from food delivery apps. With restaurants paying up to 30% in delivery fees per order, national apps — like Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats — make deep cuts into small business profit margins. When the pandemic shifted food establishments onto apps, these fees became even more unsustainable. The Pennsylvania House Bill 1617, if passed, would limit how much third-party delivery apps can charge establishments. (Pittsburgh City Paper)

• Quotable: “Colleagues on both sides of the aisle have recognized over the past year how difficult life has been for our restaurant industry. And our small businesses and, locally, our mom and pop restaurants especially, have a lot of different structural barriers to success.” — State Rep. Nick Pisciottano (D-38)
• Related: Happy Bellies is Pittsburgh’s only locally owned and operated restaurant delivery service, and its commission fees are considerably less compared to national delivery apps — totalling $4.99 to $5.99 or 15% of the order, depending on where in the city it's delivering to. (Pittsburgh City Paper)

🏠 Lawrenceville United is offering prizes for Pittsburgh “We Buy Houses” signs. In 2019, Pennsylvania General Attorney Josh Shapiro warned that the signs were a scam, as many businesses offer less than what the house is worth, leaving customers subject to foreclosure. Lawrenceville United’s initial offer was “somewhat tongue-in-cheek,” according to the article, but the group is actually willing to give prizes to people who bring in signs. 

• Quotable: “Exactly what the prize will be, however, ‘will be a surprise even to us!’” — Lawrenceville United executive director Dave Breingan (Pittsburgh City Paper)

🗣️ How are Pittsburgh organizations responding to the mental health crisis? By stepping in where traditional health systems are lagging. After the pandemic, there was a surge in demand for mental health care with too few providers and high treatment costs. Read about how organizations like Steel Smiling, Forward Allies, and Visible Hands Collaborative are filling the gaps. (Public Source)

3 things to make you smile

🌭Heinz wants to fix the dog-to-bun ratio once and for all. Like Steve Martin in “Father of The Bride,” Americans are fed up with the package of 10 hotdogs and eight buns. Now, the ketchup king launched a campaign to get manufacturers on the same page — there’s even a petition you can sign at HeinzHotDogPact.com. (TribLIVE)

🎨 Barrel and Flow welcomes new collaborations between artists and small businesses. Art + biz will provide year-long support for artists to bridge Pittsburgh art and business sectors. It’s an expansion of what the Barrel and Flow Fest already focuses on, and will provide a  stipend for artists’ works.The goal is to help both artists in need of work and small businesses in need of creative services. (Pittsburgh City Paper)

🎥 Did you know all of these great actors came from our city? Gene Kelly sang and danced his way from his hometown of Pittsburgh to the big screen, while Michael Keaton came from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and ended up in Gotham City. Check out the rest on this list of Pittsburgh stars. (NEXTPittsburgh)

🍺 Pittsburgh’s Ultimate Brewery Bracket: The Sweet 16

😊 Classics (sort of) were the cheers of the bar

Breweries like Eleventh Hour Brewing, Brew Gentlemen, Trace Brewing, Acclamation Brewing, and Grist House Craft Brewery all made it to the Sweet Sixteen with flying colors. 

🤔 Early potential winners have emerged 

East End Brewing and Hitchhiker Brewing Co. brought in more than 800 votes each in their respective races. And Acclamation Brewing wasn’t far behind. While this bracket is not here to play favorites, the incoming votes from you made it clear across the board that these breweries are forces to be reckoned with. 

😬 Some of the races were neck and neck

While some winners were established early on, the race between Spoonwood Brewing Co. and Four Points Brewing was TIGHT, with Four Points lagging behind by a small margin. As we progress through each round, it’ll be delightful to see how Spoonwood squares up against their next opponent — Hop Farm Brewing Co.

To reiterate — our bracket is not here to find the “best” Pittsburgh brewery because “best” means something different to everybody. But we are here to highlight the breweries that Pittsburghers really love and which ones you feel best represent our fair city.

And what these results showed us is that there are a whole lot of excellent breweries here in the ‘Burgh. 

Regardless if your favorite brewery made it to the next round — show the Sweet Sixteen some love and support. 💖

🍕 + 🍺 = ❤️ Thanks again to our bracket sponsor, Caliente Pizza & Draft House. Mark your calendars because Caliente is coming to Sewickley and Crafton this fall.

Pittsburghers really 💖 a good brewery

Across the board, we saw voters pick passionately and root for their favorite Pittsburgh brewery. You all showed your love with more than 15,000 votes pouring in. We are sure to see more tight races and victors as our 16 breweries get whittled down to eight. 

Vote here by 9 a.m. on Monday, July 12 to see who makes it to the next round.

Things to do

Submit your events to our calendar.

Today

🎥 Watch a movie and enjoy some live music at Movies on the Mon each Wednesday night through September (South Side Flats)

Friday

🎤 Experience the emerging talent of the Hans and Leslie Fleischner Young Artists Program at Piazza in the Park, the first of their three series outdoor performances (Squirrel Hill)

🖼️Enjoy the Pittsburgh Society of Artists Fifty-Fifth Annual Exhibition through the end of August. The annual event will feature many local artists and exhibits (South Side)

🎵 Listen to multiple local musicians at Music on the Mon (South Side Flats)

🚴 Bike with MoveForwardPGH around the South Side Neighborway to celebrate Pittsburgh's newest piece of street infrastructure (South Side)

Saturday

🛍️ Shop local makers, artists, and small businesses while enjoying good eats and drinks at the Lawrenceville Pop Up Market (Lawrenceville)

💛 Join Contemporary Craft and The Conflict Lab for community dialogues exploring issues of identity, conflict, and motherhood at Faces Seen Hearts Unknown (Lawrenceville)

Sunday

🛍️ Enjoy the Taste of Lawrenceville with an afternoon full of food, beverages, and crafts from local Lawrenceville vendors. A minimum of a $5 will be collected as your entry fee and donated to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation (Lawrenceville)

🎨Shop local artisans and hear local musicians at Art Market at The Terminal (Strip District)

🏎️ Take part in the 10-Day automotive Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix festival. The annual event will resume their Race Events this year for all to attend (Squirrel Hill)

💵 Shop all things flea market including so many vendors, artisan, makers, food trucks, and more at the Neighborhood Flea (Strip District)

Monday

🎤 Learn how to use your voice in this 6-week Voice Over Boot Camp with Amy Hartman. Anyone 18-24 can learn numerous voice acting techniques via Zoom (Virtual)

Tuesday

🎥 Join Jump Cut Theater for their independent film screening series, Film Kitchen. They will stream a selection of short films created by local artists (Virtual)

One more thing …

🍦July is National Ice Cream Month. Our intern, Zoey, is scooping up something tasty with a Pittsburgh fav — Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor in the Strip District — and she needs YOUR help. Have any stories, memories, or photos you’d like to share about this Pittsburgh treasure? Just hit reply to this newsletter, and send them in!

Have a great day! We’ll see you back here tomorrow.

— Francesca and Zoey at The Incline

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