Condensation from a refrigerated trailer splashed my neck as I peeked to see what was just beyond it. There, tucked beneath an overpass, sat a makeshift kitchen. I watched as the cook covered the griddle in bacon to season it before the first burger orders came in. I made a mental note to check back in a minute, because there was about to be some action here.
It was opening day at Lagerlands, Pittsburgh’s new “socially distant beer garden,” and I had spent the first couple hours photographing the spot. I thought I had caught it all, but when I poked my head through again, the kitchen was in full swing. The crew was just as perfectly seasoned as the griddle, calling out orders, assembling burgers, and sending them out to tables faster than I would’ve imagined possible.
Once the rush died down, I knew I had to get a burger for myself. I was hungry, but I also needed a companion for the can of Cinderlands Beer Co.’s Tracks Again Pilsner that I had just cracked—the place is called Lagerlands, after all. After a couple minutes passed, they called out my order and I grabbed it with delight. I nestled back into the same spot where I had been shooting and began to eat. The cook noticed that I had returned and asked, “How is it?”
“Fucking delicious!” I replied.
I was content in that little space as I polished off my meal. I reflected on the day so far, and my mind drifted towards thoughts of the families that I had seen enjoying themselves. If these pandemic times weren’t so uncertain, there’s a good chance that my family would’ve been waiting at a table for me to finish up. Nowadays, it’s hard to know what the right call is when it comes to going out in the world. After my meal was over, I said goodbye to some familiar faces that I hadn’t seen in months, and began making my way back home to my wife and boys.
Words + Photoby Nick Naretto