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In Millvale, if you ask an older resident, "Where does home feel the most like home?" the answer is often not a particular house, but the 90-year-old Grant Bar on the street corner. This old establishment has witnessed the rise and fall of three generations of immigrants, the everyday life of the blue-collar community, and the mutual support during floods. It has also experienced the hardships and perseverance brought about by changing times. In November 2025, the restaurant announced its impending closure, leaving countless people feeling "like losing an old friend"—and the story of this old establishment holds the warmth of "people."
1926: The immigrant couple's dream begins in a hotel.
The legend of Grant's Bar began in 1926 in Millville—when Matthew and Maria Ruzombeka, Czechoslovakian immigrants, bought an old hotel. For these newcomers to America, the building was not only a means of livelihood but also the starting point of their hope for settling down in a foreign land. In 1933, with the repeal of Prohibition, the couple transformed the hotel into a pub. The menu was simple yet perfectly suited to the tastes of the blue-collar workers on the street—this was the beginning of Grant's Bar.
Tragically, Matthew passed away at a young age, leaving Maria and their children behind. This resilient mother did not back down; she single-handedly shouldered the dual burden of raising her children and running the pub, using her strength as a woman to support her family and the restaurant's future for the next fifty years.
Family tradition: "We grew up in the kitchen."“
At Grant Bar, "legacy" is never just a slogan. The childhood of every generation of family children is closely linked to the kitchen, bar, and pantry—washing dishes, peeling potatoes, greeting guests, and serving dishes. They grow up in the atmosphere of everyday life, getting to know every regular on the old street, and being watched by every customer as they grow up.
This is the most typical American immigrant narrative: home is the kitchen, and the kitchen is life's first lesson. Years later, when people call Grant Bar "the heart of the community," they are not referring to the menu or the decor, but to this "human touch" passed down through generations.
2004: Post-Flood Resilience, Community Rebirth
In 2004, Hurricane Ivan triggered floods that swept through Millville, devastating Grant Bar. Furniture, appliances, and tableware were all destroyed, leaving only the heavy wooden bar counter in the front hall, standing stubbornly like the skeleton of history. Frank Ruzombeka looked at the muddy ground and for the first time considered giving up.
But the next morning, when he opened the door, 36 employees, family members, and old friends were already waiting at the entrance with buckets and mops. Without a word, they silently went into the ruins to clean up. At that moment, Frank suddenly realized: this was never just his restaurant, but the "home" of the entire community. Seven months later, Grant's Bar reopened thanks to everyone's concerted efforts, writing a heartwarming story of "community self-rescue."
Pie Miracle: A Delicious Dish Revitalizes an Old Shop
Frank is not only the owner but also a gifted chef. In the 1990s, a "pie course" he took by chance at Allegheny County Community College unexpectedly became a turning point for his 90-year-old restaurant. The pies he makes have an outer crust baked with a mixture of lard and butter, so flaky that it crumbles at the touch; the fillings are made with carefully selected ingredients, and the flavor is simple yet rich and satisfying.
In the 2000s, this pie gradually became a city-wide sensation; in 2015, the national broadcast of the PBS documentary "A Few Good Pies" catapulted Grant's Bar to fame overnight. People drove from the suburbs, northern Pennsylvania, and even Ohio just for a bite. This pie not only revived the struggling establishment but also became Frank's culinary legacy to the world. After Frank's passing in 2020, his nephew, Joe Rothline, inherited his pie recipe, continuing the restaurant's spirit.
2025: Final Chapter and Farewell, Holding On to the Last Order
As the 2020s dawned, persistent inflation made life difficult for small restaurants: a box of iceberg lettuce soared from $24 to $90, cod prices doubled, and costs for gas, labor, and utilities climbed steadily. Joe Rothlein and 80-year-old John “Little” Ruzombeka attempted to sell the restaurant for $1.5 million, hoping someone would continue its legacy, but months passed without any takers.
Ultimately, they made the difficult decision: Grant Bar would officially close on November 29, 2025. "I don't know what to do next. I'll miss this place…it's my home," Joe said, turning and walking back to the kitchen—where over 80 unbaked pies remained, Thanksgiving orders from community residents. Even facing closure, this decades-old tradition and commitment would still be fulfilled.
More than just restaurants: the memories and imprints of an era of a street
Grant Bar is not just a simple business success story. It is the American dream of an immigrant couple, the determination of a mother to support her family, the childhood of generations of children growing up in the kitchen, a testament to community unity after the flood, the hope brought by a pie, the unspoken bond between the community and the restaurant, and the irreplaceable "old-fashioned human touch".
When a 90-year-old establishment closes down, it's not just a restaurant that disappears, but also a microcosm of an era. But as long as people remember the taste of that pie, and as long as people tell stories of perseverance and warmth, Grant Bar will never truly disappear—it has long been the soul of Millville's community, etched deep in the memories of a generation.
Written by TVOW World Voice Contributor | Adapted from EnglishA report by Hal B. Klein, a reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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