For nearly three decades, Coffee Tree Roasters on Beverly Road was part of Mt. Lebanon’s morning routine. Then, almost overnight, it was gone.
Regulars showed up late last week to find a handwritten “closed” sign taped to the front door of the longtime cafe. In the days around the notice, neighbors watched as interior equipment disappeared and the familiar exterior signage came down, signaling the quiet end of a 30-year neighborhood habit.
How the closure came to light
According to TribLIVE, the Mt. Lebanon Coffee Tree location at 299 Beverly Road had the handwritten sign posted on Thursday, after equipment and signs had already started to vanish from the space. The building is owned by Kendal and Oliver Wolf and has been in the family since the 1960s. The Beverly Road cafe, which opened there in 1996, was quietly shuttered this week.
Company footprint and roastery
The Coffee Tree Roasters started in Squirrel Hill in 1993 and has grown into a small local chain. The company’s website describes a network of company-owned shops along with a roastery and wholesale operation based in West Mifflin. Other listed cafe locations include Shadyside, Fox Chapel and Pleasant Hills, with the West Mifflin facility serving as a hub for wholesale and espresso equipment services.
Union history
In early 2022, workers at five Coffee Tree locations, including the Beverly Road shop, organized with UFCW Local 1776. The union says employees later ratified their first contract, which brought changes to wages and scheduling and put the Mt. Lebanon shop among a small group of unionized coffeehouses in the Pittsburgh region.
Nearby storefronts and what’s changed
The Mt. Lebanon closure follows another high-profile change in the local coffee landscape. Coffee Tree’s original Squirrel Hill cafe on Forbes Avenue shut its doors and was replaced last fall by Pre Amp Coffee Studio. The handoff was covered by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which reported on Pre Amp’s November opening in the former Coffee Tree space.
Neighbors react
On Beverly Road, the response has been equal parts surprise and regret. “It’s a shame,” Mt. Lebanon business owner Arlene Bertenthal told TribLIVE, adding that “their coffee has been wonderful.” Regulars say they will miss the patio seats, the casual sidewalk people-watching and the ritual of grabbing a daily cup a few doors down from home.
What’s next for the Beverly Road space
For now, Coffee Tree’s own online footprint has not fully caught up with the on-the-ground reality. The company website still lists a Mt. Lebo shop among its locations, and it continues to highlight the roastery and headquarters at 1200 Lebanon Road Suite B in West Mifflin.
The future of 299 Beverly Road is still a question mark. Neighbors say they are watching to see whether the former cafe will be re-leased or repurposed and are hoping another small business with a neighborhood-friendly vibe eventually fills the corner that, for 30 years, smelled like fresh espresso.
