Moe's to open Downtown

Moe's Southwest Grill, a restaurant chain specializing in fresh, made-to-order burritos and Southwest fare, said Monday it will open an outlet in Market Square, Downtown, this summer.

Mike Geiger and John Iaquinta, local owner/operators of Moe's outlets in Cranberry and Collier Township, said they signed a lease for their third site in the region for 1,500 square feet of space at 210 Forbes Avenue at the corner of Forbes and Market Street.

"We wanted to get on board with all the development and modernization that is happening in Market Square," said Geiger, who teamed with Iaquinta, a former chef at Atria's restaurants, to open their first local restaurant about three years ago.

In addition to Geiger's and Iaquinta's outlets, there are two other restaurants owned by another franchisee in Monroeville and Robinson.

The team intends to apply for funding assistance for the building's facade from the newly announced Paris to Pittsburgh program administered by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

Thanks to $1 million in funding from the nonprofit Colcom Foundation, the partnership is making available matching grants to encourage restaurants and retailers to expand their operations onto sidewalks. By making facade and other improvements, Geiger said the partners hope to be able to offer as many as 32 outdoor seats, adding to the 40 or 50 seats they will have inside their new location.

"This is exactly what the program envisions," said Michael Edwards, the Downtown Partnership's CEO. "The program is designed to enhance the dining and shopping experience for pedestrians by bringing the indoors out to the street."

Geiger said the new restaurant will employ about 20 to 25 people.