Domino's franchises to open in Schuylkill County; Pottsville restaurant closed

May 22—Two franchises in a popular fast food pizza chain are slated to open this summer, while a longtime Pottsville restaurant has closed.

Domino's pizza restaurants are coming to the Miners Plaza on the Pottsville-Minersville Highway (Route 901) in Branch Township and the plaza at 368 Center Ave. (Route 61) in Schuylkill Haven, said Flavia Ferreira, who works in administrative support for East Orange, New Jersey-based MSK Management, which owns both sites.

The Miners Plaza franchise will be 2,018 square feet and is slated to open by mid-June, while the Schuylkill Haven one is 1,278 square feet and is scheduled to start serving customers July 1.

Both will only offer takeout of Domino's food products. The restaurant chain, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is known for its pizza and breadsticks.

There was no activity at either location in recent weeks, with brown paper covering the windows.

A repair permit from the Borough of Schuylkill Haven is taped to the window at that location, while a large sign with information on hiring is in the window of the Miners Plaza restaurant.

The restaurants join an existing Domino's on Route 61 in Pottsville, which MSK also owns, Ferreira said.

Meanwhile, after closing temporarily in December, Gramma's Restaurant at 2082 W. Market St. won't reopen.

Management confirmed the closure on its Facebook page Friday, citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as the reason.

"Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the restaurant industry has suffered severe financial and staffing repercussions from the extended lockdowns and closures of businesses across our county," it reads. "Sadly, due to these unprecedented circumstances, Gramma's Restaurant has made the difficult decision to not reopen."

Jake Weaver, a landlord for the property along with his father, Bob Weaver, said Friday that many of the customers were older and most affected by the virus.

Also that day, the Gramma's Restaurant signs were no longer on the building and there were trailers in the parking lot.

Hugo Leon, who also owns Original Italian Pizza on Mauch Chunk Street, had been leasing the restaurant from the Weavers, who run the nearby Bob Weaver Auto at 2174 W. Market St.

Bob Weaver bought the restaurant property from former owners Jason Zulick and Brian Schumacher, both of Pottsville, in December 2019; the two had owned it since 2017.

Leon and his fiancée, Steph Vito, began managing the restaurant in December 2019. Efforts to reach Leon this week were unsuccessful.

The restaurant was owned by John and Barbara Pugh from 1982 until John Pugh's death in 2012. Barbara Pugh continued to run it until selling it to Zulick and Schumacher.

Gramma's also had a location on Main Street in Schuylkill Haven, which John Pugh operated from 1986 to 2001.

The restaurant had stayed open during the height of the pandemic last year, offering takeout, but it closed temporarily in November after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.

In December, management had announced on Gramma's Facebook page that the restaurant would close temporarily again "due to the devastating effects of the pandemic on our newly established business."

Contact the writer: clee@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6028; @Cleespot on Twitter