June 22, 2021 | by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
With the beef over contracts finished, steak will be returning to Downtown’s historic Union Trust Building.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse has reaffirmed its 15-year commitment to occupy a prominent corner spot in the Grant Street landmark after its parent firm and The Davis Companies, the building owner, settled a year-old lawsuit.
The high-end steakhouse is scheduled to open in September 2022 at Fifth Avenue and William Penn Place with two floors of dining connected by a restored marble staircase.
Del Frisco’s is returning to the spot after pulling out in fall 2019 when the restaurant was sold to Landry’s Inc. That ignited a beefy legal battle, with The Davis Companies filing a lawsuit alleging breach of contract.
That has been resolved with Del Frisco’s renewed commitment to the building. Adding the steakhouse to the Union Trust menu required “some patience and some flexibility,” said Jonathan Davis, CEO and founder of The Davis Companies.
“We couldn’t be more delighted with the outcome, and we think they will be an enormous positive addition to the fulfillment of our vision and our business plan for that property,” he said.
“We always thought they would be a great tenant and a great addition to the tenant mix that we created there.”
In a statement, Keith Beitler, Landry’s chief operating officer, said the company was pleased “to finalize our relationship with The Davis Companies.”
“The Union Trust Building was always the best fit for Del Frisco’s in Pittsburgh, given its ground zero location, the property’s magnificent architecture and historic significance, and the strong performance of the other restaurants located there,” he said.
Del Frisco’s will take 11,032 square feet in the building. Part of the restaurant will be located in a space that once served as an ornate banking hall after the Union Trust Co. purchased the property in 1923.
According to The Davis Companies, original brass-plated safe deposit box doors will be incorporated into the restaurant’s interior design.
Herky Pollock, the CBRE executive vice president who served as a broker for Del Frisco’s and The Davis Companies, said that when Landry’s acquired the steakhouse chain, it “had to digest all of the assets and determine which were best suited for their brand.”
“The conclusion was a resounding yes for Pittsburgh,” he said.
“To have an iconic steakhouse such as Del Frisco’s Double Eagle decide to go forward and open in Pittsburgh speaks volumes about both the project and the city given that we’re just coming out of a pandemic.”
The steakhouse currently has 16 locations across the country, including one in Philadelphia.
Del Frisco’s return means more red meat for a city filled with it. Several weeks ago, Denver-based Sullivan’s Steakhouse announced that it had signed a 10-year lease to occupy a 7,600-square-foot space on the first floor of U.S. Steel Tower on Grant Street just blocks from the Union Trust Building.
Sullivan’s is replacing Red, another steakhouse that closed in September 2018 less than a year after opening.
Del Frisco’s and Sullivan’s will try to, um, stake out their territory against meaty stalwarts like Ruth’s Chris, Morton’s, Capital Grille, Hyde Park, Eddie Merlot’s, Fogo de Chao and Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, which also is in the Union Trust Building.
Nonetheless, Mr. Davis believes the new restaurant will more than hold its own.
“I think Del Frisco’s is going to take this to a new level. This facility is going to be head and shoulders above anything else in the city,” he said.
Mr. Pollock noted that the gross sales of steakhouses in and near Downtown exceed more than $40 million a year.
“All have gross sales well above chain average and have found a strong demand from Pittsburgh consumers and tourists alike,” he said.
At the Union Trust, Del Frisco’s will join The Speckled Egg restaurant and the casual Freshii in addition to Eddie V’s. The Davis Companies also is searching for a replacement for the Union Standard, which closed during the pandemic.
The company has spent more than $100 million rehabbing and restoring the Grant Street gem, built by industrialist Henry Clay Frick and opened in 1917.
As part of the rehab, The Davis Companies restored the building’s opulence, from the brass, marble and terra cotta to the dazzling stain glass dome atop the central rotunda. It also added state-of-the-art amenities such as fitness and conference centers and a 190-space parking garage
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.