SWISSVALE, PA — Jay Stewie occasionally prepares himself a bite to eat at the Triangle, but seldom is it one of the iconic Pittsburgh bar and grill’s meaty subs. Having worked there since Bill Clinton was president, the thrill of downing one has diminished a bit.
“It’s been a while since I ate steak Destroyers every day,” Stewie told Patch. “When I make myself something these days, I’ll usually have something like a chicken and egg sandwich.”
The affable Stewie, 49, of West Mifflin is marking his 30th year working at the Triangle. As you might imagine given his tenure, he has assembled thousands of the Triangle’s legendary Torpedoes, Destroyers and monster 27-inch-long Battleships.
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Just how many thousands? For the answer, Patch went to Triangle owner Tom Crombie, who said Stewie probably has made more sandwiches over the years than any other person in Western Pennsylvania.
“We put out 140,000 sandwiches a year and he may have made 10,000 to 12,000 a year for the last 30 years,” Crombie said. “My estimate is he’s somewhere around 350,000 to 425,000 made in his lifetime.”
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Three decades is a long time to work at any location, especially in the high-turnover bar and restaurant business. Stewie attributes his longevity at the Triangle in large part to loyalty to Tom Crombie’s parents. Bob – nicknamed Bones – and Judy Crombie purchased the place in 1982 and owned the grill when Stewie first began toiling there.
“It might sound funny or sentimental, but I’ve stayed because of them, out of respect for them,” he said. “Bones and Judy, they weren’t just friends to me. They were family. Judy, she loved me like a son.”
Stewie said he has made many friends during his time at the Triangle. He enjoys seeing night-shift workers coming in at 8 a.m. for happy hours that most people don’t begin until 5 p.m. He likes the camraderie he has with his coworkers.
So he plans to continue at the Triangle and keep adding to the enormous number of subs he has made – whatever that total might actually be.
“This place has been a big part of my life,” he said.
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