Mom-and-pop pizzerias’ business is rising and making dough

Preston Harmon
Thu, 07 Jul 2022 00:46:45 +0000
Arts & Life, food & drink, Instagram Page, Buckeyes, business, Columbus, community, food, fresh, homemade, local, ohio state, osu, pandemic, pizza, small business, student, surrounding communities

Tyler’s Pizzeria is located at 7516 E Main St in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Credit: Preston Harmon | Lantern Reporter

Loyal pizzeria patrons’ steadfast support ensures that a local entrepreneurs’ restaurant dreams become reality.

Small pizza stores in Central Ohio face many competitors, yet they succeed thanks to consistent business from loyal customers. With online buzz from fellow pizza enthusiasts, unique pies and quality food, these local businesses thrive in Columbus.

“We didn’t know why we were so busy,” Robyn Hensley, owner of Possum Holler Pizza in Obetz, said. “And then one of our friends who owns another pizza place said ‘you guys are all over this Facebook page.’”

The Facebook page — with more than 50,000 current members — called Pizza Connoisseurs of Columbus is home to many posts complimenting Possum Holler. The Connoisseurs exclusively support local pizza stores, and the group’s homepage explicitly states “NO CHAIN PIZZA!!” is allowed to be promoted.

Unlike chain restaurants, mom-and-pop pizzerias are locally owned and operated, with one or very few restaurants in their community.

Other restaurateurs gain loyal customers through their variety of cooking methods and pizza styles.

“We have a different style of pizza,” Ed Bisconti, owner of Borgata Pizza Cafe, said. “I’ve been cooking my whole life, and we serve New York style pizza, and we do all homemade Italian too.”

Bisconti owns the three Borgata shops: in Worthington, Parksville Street in Columbus and at Budd Dairy Food Hall on North 4th Street.

Bryan Tyler, owner of Tyler’s Pizzeria & Bakery in Reynoldsburg, said his loyal clientele appreciates that his pizzeria is a small business. The larger chain pizza stores, such as the Donato’s Pizza nearby Tyler’s, occupy a different market than mom-and-pop shops, he said.

“I can’t imagine how many pizzas they make in a night,” Tyler said. “On a good Friday night, we make 40 pizzas, and that’s amazing because everything is made fresh, it’s made completely differently.”

Tyler’s not only makes pizza, but the store is a fully functional bakery with a woodfire stove to make bread, cakes, pizza rolls, calzones and more, Tyler said.

The bakery is a selling point for many customers, especially as holidays approach, he said.

“Thanksgiving is a very busy time of the year for us where we do pumpkin and pecan pies and dinner rolls,” Tyler said.

With supply shortages affecting all supplies, food and paper products needed to operate, Tyler said the shop’s loyal customers have helped them stay afloat. During the height of the pandemic when the store sold out of bread, customers that came in to make their regular purchases had to leave empty handed, he said.

“I was worried this craziness going on is going to hurt our business with our regular customers,” Tyler said. “But it didn’t and they came back.”

Tyler said he is able to do what he loves because of his loyal patrons.

“It’s my dream job,” Tyler said. “Other people go to work, I get to come in and bake.”