Local restaurant shutting its doors due to ground settling underneath

WEXFORD, Pa. — A local restaurant is closing up shop, at least temporarily, after the ground underneath the building was found to be settling.

Emporio: A Meatball Joint appeared to be the only business impacted in a shopping plaza in Wexford.

“It’s a great concern for the safety of not only our patrons but our workers," said Dennis Blackwell, an attorney who represents Emporio.

He said problems with the subsoil beneath the floor has settled several inches, causing it to separate from a portion of the wall.

“One of the employees noticed it. So we went in there with an expert to look at it all. It appears the soil has not compacted properly. It’s settled at an alarming rate," Blackwell said.

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Blackwell said they plan on getting an engineer to come look at the issue as quickly as possible.

But the property owner said the problem is with Emporio, not the building.

An attorney for Gigliotti Properties tells Channel 11 the company didn’t even know about the issue until being contacted by the media this morning, adding: “There’s no issue with anything structural whatsoever. This is a minor problem that they are responsible to fix.”

Gigliotti Properties had the property inspected Monday morning. They believe the issue may be a drain line installed by Emporio.

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