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.
