The corner of Forbes Avenue and Wood Street Downtown doesn't look much like a test lab. But that's exactly what it has been for Eat'n Park much of the last two years.

And one thing the local restaurant chain has learned is that street closings truly do have a negative impact on business.

Since December 2014, Eat'n Park has opened three new eateries within yards of each other at the corner of Forbes and Wood -- Hello Bistro, Delicious Raw, and Corner Mercantile, which is located in the lobby of the new Tower at PNC Plaza.

Delicious Raw and the Corner Mercantile are new concepts in the Pittsburgh market and Hello Bistro was new to Downtown when it first opened about 17 months ago.

"It's become like an innovation corner for us," said Kevin O'Connell, senior vice president of marketing for Eat'n Park Hospitality Group.

But for many months it was Lonely Avenue as well, thanks in large part to the closing of Forbes between Wood and Market Square in January 2014 for the construction of the new Tower Two Sixty.

All three eateries opened while the street was closed -- Hello Bistro in December 2014, Delicious Raw in January 2015, and Corner Mercantile last December.

Eat'n Park really had no way of charting the impact on business while Forbes was closed. But what has been eye opening is how sales have soared since the street reopened in February.

At Delicious Raw, which occupies a cubby hole on Forbes connected to Hello Bistro, they have jumped 50 percent. At Hello Bistro and Corner Mercantile, they have risen 25 percent.

Mr. O'Connell traces the surge in sales directly back to the reopening of the street, which brought more foot traffic past the stores, particularly Delicious Raw.

"It's right to that date," he said of the increases. "The impulse traffic is a lot higher."

Eat'n Park is particularly thrilled with the boost at Delicious Raw, where sales weren't meeting expectations before the street reopened. While Hello Bistro sales have always been in line with expectations, they are now doing even better, Mr. O'Connell said.

Delicious Raw got its start in Naples, Fla., and Eat'n Park partnered with the company to bring the concept to Pittsburgh.

The store serves up a host of juices and smoothies catering to the health-conscious crowd. On the juice side, they include concoctions like "Bee Healthy" consisting of carrot, apple, celery, parsley, and bee pollen and "Veggie-Maxx," a mix of avocado, tomato, carrot, peppers, parsley, cucumber, spinach, garlic, and cayenne. Smoothies can be just as exotic.

"There's nothing like it in Pittsburgh," Mr. O'Connell said.

Tucked into about 3,000 square feet in the lobby of the new PNC tower, Corner Mercantile is "kind of a prepared foods section of Whole Foods meets a coffee shop meets a sandwich place meets a to-go," Mr. O'Connell said.

Each day, the store offers a varying menu of prepared entrees, hand-carved sandwiches, and grab-and-go items like salads. It also began serving breakfast and sports a coffee bar.

"It's really kind of designed to meet the needs of people working down here," he said.

The store is open to both PNC employees and the general public. Mr. O'Connell said sales started off slowly but have been growing as more people try it.

"It's very different from the things people experience in a restaurant," he said.

With its own executive chef, Corner Mercantile is patterned after Eat'n Park's Parkhurst Dining Services, which mainly serves college and corporate dining halls not open to the public.

Mr. O'Connell said Eat'n Park wanted to take what was good about that concept and apply it in a retail setting.

While the Eat'n Park eateries have prospered with the reopening of the section of Forbes between Wood and Market Square, some of the other merchants in the area still report struggles.

Kevin Hu, owner of the Headgear at 312 Forbes, estimated his sales are down 60 percent. He said he has seen no change in business since a new sidewalk opened outside his store.

The section of Forbes between Wood and Smithfield remains closed to vehicular traffic but is expected to reopen by the end of July.

However, Henry Dewey, co-owner of the Penn Avenue Fish Co. at 308 Forbes, said his business has bounced back about 50 percent from its low point during the winter.

He took advantage of the bleakest times to remodel the restaurant and change the menu, with 70 percent of it now dedicated to sushi.

With the reopened section of Forbes between Wood and Market Square, "That whole area down there is just flourishing as far as foot traffic," he said.

On Wood, Eitan Solomon, owner of the Denim Express, told a different story. He bemoaned the lack of traffic, saying his sales are down "big time." He said his business was hurt by the closing of the Macy's store last September. He has not seen a bump in sales with the opening of the PNC Tower and the reopening of Forbes.

"I think the trend of the retail store Downtown is dying," he said. "It's not going to last much longer."

But at the Villa next door, manager Brandon Younger said sales have jumped by 30 to 40 percent. He said the store gets a lot of business from workers at PNC and from the Market Square area.

"There's no other urban clothing store Downtown other than us. If you're coming here, you're coming for a reason. There's no other like it Downtown," he said.

Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.

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