All Things Common Plea
From Courthouse to Catering
Common Plea Catering began in 1970 as The Common Plea Restaurant, founded by Donna and John Barsotti in downtown Pittsburgh. It was located right next to the Allegheny Courthouse home to the counties Court of Common Pleas.
From the start, the restaurant became known for its welcoming hospitality and commitment to quality, earning a loyal following and a strong reputation within the city’s dining community.
As demand grew beyond the restaurant, Common Plea expanded into catering, establishing a dedicated commissary kitchen in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. This expansion allowed the company to support a growing range of events and corporate dining programs, serving thousands of meals weekly while maintaining the same standards that defined the original restaurant.
Today, Common Plea Catering is a full-service catering and events company trusted for weddings, corporate gatherings, nonprofit events, and large-scale celebrations throughout the region. Backed by decades of experience and a seasoned team, we combine chef-driven menus with thoughtful planning and reliable execution to deliver events that feel seamless from start to finish.
While our services and scale have evolved over the years, our approach has not. We remain focused on great food, attentive service, and creating dining experiences that bring people together in meaningful ways.
Our Promise to You
Everything we do is guided by a set of principles that shape how we work with our clients, our partners, and one another.
Service Excellence
We are committed to proactively identifying and meeting the needs of our colleagues, clients, and communities. From planning through execution, we take pride in delivering service that feels attentive, responsive, and reliable.
Dedication
We are deeply invested in the success of every event we serve. Passion, purpose, and pride guide our team, ensuring each gathering receives the care and attention it deserves.
Trustworthiness
We refuse to compromise on quality. Our clients rely on us for consistency, professionalism, and integrity, and we take that responsibility seriously in every decision we make.
Our Mission
We believe great food has the power to bring people together, and it should be made responsibly. Our mission is to create chef-driven cuisine using thoughtful sourcing and sustainable practices whenever possible, while delivering events that feel seamless, intentional, and well executed.
From menu development to service and presentation, we strive to balance creativity with responsibility, ensuring our food reflects both our standards and our values.
Our Commitment to Sustainability
At Common Plea Catering, we take a practical, hands-on approach to sustainability by investing in systems that reduce waste and support responsible food production. Lowering our environmental impact is an important part of how we operate, not an afterthought.
Our commissary kitchen is equipped with a specialized composting machine that allows us to process food waste on site, significantly reducing what is sent to landfills. That compost is then repurposed as chicken feed and fertilizer, creating a closed-loop system that puts waste back to work in a meaningful way.
We also maintain a hydroponic garden, allowing us to grow select ingredients efficiently while conserving water and minimizing transportation impact. These initiatives help us reduce our overall carbon footprint while supporting the quality and integrity of the food we serve.
Sustainability at Common Plea Catering is about making thoughtful choices every day. By combining responsible sourcing, waste reduction, and innovative growing practices, we aim to care for our community and environment while continuing to deliver food and events that meet our highest standards.