After four successful years operating
Red Room, owner Rob Reese is expanding the restaurant’s East Liberty presence with a new lounge set to open August 15.
Located adjacent to Red Room 134 S. Highland Ave., 2 Red gives Reese the opportunity to grow both his business and his cuisine. “Our numbers have grown. Since opening, this has been our best year. Growth isn’t the only motivator for the expansion,” says the Philadelphia native, 39, who worked at Casbah and as a Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher before opening Red Room on a shoestring budget. “Growing as a cuisine and being able to separate the restaurant and lounge is important.” Reese is hiring 15 new employees.
Open 7 days a week, the 1,800-square-foot lounge features cozy couches and booths, skylights, and a spacious rooftop deck. Built originally as a conference room, the space underwent a complete renovation and now boasts dark palm wood flooring, glass garage doors, and a natural polished concrete bar designed by Scott Spear. “We’re trying to do something that’s not typical Pittsburgh,” adds Reese, who worked with
EDGE studio on drawings.
2 Red joins the recently opened
Richard Chen Pan Asian Cuisine,
Vanilla Pastry Studio and
Pizza Sola. “For an area to really grow and keep people from driving to other places you have to have a synergy,” adds Reese, who envisions an upscale corner and hopes to see a hotel and additional restaurants open in East Liberty. ‘With a good shoe store, restaurant and salon, you can have the makings of an eclectic shopping area. We need to keep people walking around.”
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSource: Rob Reese, 2 Red & Red Room
Photograph copyright Brian Cohen