Giovanni's Pizza and Pub opens
Dec. 21—SUMMIT — Piping-hot pizza. Ice-cold beer. Big-screen sports.
If these are a few of your favorite things, Giovanni's Pizza and Pub might just be a must-visit.
The spacious Summit restaurant offers the best of both worlds in owner Jesse Hunt's eyes: a family-friendly atmosphere and a small-town sports-bar environment.
This Giovanni's location replaces the one that sat in the adjacent lot for years along U.S. 60. It's across from Double Drizzle and near the Boyd County Public Library's main branch.
A large kitchen was necessary for Hunt's latest venture, on which he took his time. The initial announcement of the restaurant's arrival occurred two years ago. It finally officially opened on Dec. 12, 2022.
Giovanni's Pizza and Pub employs 26 people. Hours are Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Hunt said the building used to consist of a bunch of small offices.
"When I came in, I had them tear every wall out, every fixture out," Hunt said. "When I come into this building, I want to walk into four walls, 5,000 square feet of space, and say, OK, what can I do to make it efficient and create an environment? The first thing was, I will not limit my kitchen."
Hunt said the kitchen runs efficiently.
"We can put $2,000 worth of product without anybody running over top of each other," Hunt said. "My people never take more than two steps to do any one thing. Everything flows."
Sports-themed artwork greets the eye when approaching the front entrance. For now, Christmas elves are dressed in University of Kentucky, Reds and Bengals gear. Kentucky jerseys are sketched inside windows. Local John Payne is responsible for the artwork. He's also a tattoo artist.
Reds and UK memorabilia adorn the walls. One display is dedicated to Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb, an Ashland Blazer graduate.
The bar features about a dozen stools and four beers on tap at the moment — Michelob Ultra, Bud Light, Country Boy Cougar Bait and a Sierra Nevada Hazy IPA. Bottles of beer (kept on ice as opposed to in a cooler) and wine are available as well.
The food menu consists of traditional Giovanni's favorites in addition to an expanded appetizer menu that includes fried banana pepper rings, mini corn dogs, onion rings and Mac-and-cheese bites. Wing sauces include sweet chili, barbecue and teriyaki, along with traditional buffalo options. Speciality pizzas include buffalo chicken, Mac and cheese and chicken bacon ranch.
There is no hot buffet, but there is a salad bar.
The restaurant also features a drive-thru door instead of a window. This is to accommodate larger items such as a 19-inch pizza.
"We've gotten a lot of nice compliments about that," Hunt said.
Hunt said five-foot knee walls are erected for now in order for him to continue working on his vision for the restaurant.
"Ultimately, I think there will be a door right here," he said as he stood just inside the entrance to the right. "This will be all closed off and become a quiet/party room. It will have a double-insulated wall."
Hunt said he hopes to launch a karaoke night on Thursdays soon. Local music artists and bands will have the opportunity to perform live at the restaurant as well.
Hunt, who also owns the Cannonsburg and Blackburn Avenue locations, said three soft openings, which were all for various charity causes, went smoothly in Summit.
"What really gave me the idea originally is there's really nowhere to go locally to be able to watch games on a big screen, have a cold beer and have pizza," Hunt said. "I'm not trying to create a honky tonk or a bar. I want this to be a family-friendly atmosphere. I'll always cater to the people who have made (Giovanni's) what it is. I'm not going away from our roots."
(606) 326-2664 — asnyder@dailyindependent.com
