No more pizzas: Pi restaurant closes its doors and blames it on the pedestrian mall

After 20 years serving pizza, Pi Gourmet Eatery is turning off the oven and closing its door for good on Saturday. 

Owner Meghan O'Dea says the success of the restaurant over the years was thanks to her loyal customers and staff — many she had for over a decade.

"So many people fell in love here. People gotten married here," she said.

But COVID-19, inflation and the increasing cost of living were blows the business couldn't recover from, she says.

O'Dea sits in the restaurant, located on King's Road in downtown St. John's, next to her father, Chris O'Dea. He says COVID-19 changed people's eating habits, but the biggest blow to their business was the pedestrian mall, which closes off parts of downtown to vehicles in the summer months. 

People parked on Duckworth Street to access the mall, limiting customers from parking near the restaurant.

The pedestrian mall also created a sort of boundary for people, encouraging them to stay within its limits and not visit businesses outside of it, he says.

He added that they had conversations with other downtown businesses outside the pedestrian mall, and their sales had dropped by 30 percent — a figure similar to their own decline.

"You can only increase your prices so much and people will stop coming in the door," he said.

"The city that decided to change the competitive landscape by subsidizing the chosen few that are within the geographic boundaries of the pedestrian mall."

Pizza, celebrities and memories

Chris O'Dea points to a sign on the wall: a tribute to Meghan O'Dea winning first place in a pizza competition in Las Vegas.

"She has a tremendous product. It's going to be missed by the community," he said.

Meghan pats his arm. "This is my greatest support for sure," she said.

Meghan has lived with a disability her entire life. Born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, she has limited use of the left side of her body. Last year, she also suffered from nerve damage.

"It's never stopped me," she said.

"It won't stop her in the future," her father added.

The place holds many memories, they said: loyal customers, people who met each other for the first time, some even getting married there.

Canadian radio broadcaster Stuart McLean tasted her pizzas and sang their praise, so much so that his sister visited the place because he couldn't stop talking about it, Meghan said.

Another big personality who visited the restaurant was Anthony Bourdain, the American chef and author. On Meghan right arm is a tattoo marking his words: "Serves the best pizza in town."

"It's my home and it's my love," she said.

Many fans of the restaurant shared this sentiment, pouring out their support on social media.

"My main focus right now is to make all of my loyal customers and loyal staff in the past and present happy and just enjoy the week," she said.

"Then start a new plan."

CBC News has asked for comment from the City of St. John's.

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