A new Chinese restaurant / cafe seems to be coming to Squirrel Hill. Footer's Cleaners at 5864 Forbes Ave. (
map) closed earlier this year and the building was bought by JC Investment Squirrel Hill Property LLC, run by a Yao Chen from Erie. A Chinese construction crew has been performing work on the interior of the 3500-square-foot space, and Hungry Panda advertisements are on the windows. Paperwork to the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning has
more information about the proposed restaurant / cafe; the contact information on the application leads the former ownership behind Oakland's Top Shabu Shabu and Night Market Gourmet, and contact information on permits lead to a real estate company that also owns a Chinese restsaurant in Irwin.
Footer's is owned by the same family who ran Lord Duncan Cleaners on Forward Avenue, which also closed earlier in 2023.