Local pizza restaurants focus on quality

Apr. 25—There is not argument that pizza is a beloved food throughout the United States, with recognizable chain restaurants serving the saucy dish up from coast to coast. However, locally-owned pizza shops offer an alternative to the national chains, serving up a dash of local flavor with each bite.

Adam Hansen opened Pizza By The Guy 23 years ago at 3115 Commonwealth Court with the idea to sell a higher-quality pizza than what the national chains could.

"Twenty-three-plus years ago, where I am, out on Highway 54, there was not a whole lot out here," Hansen said. "I pretty much knew I had a great quality product that would compete with anybody around."

Hansen said that offering a higher-quality pizza at a slightly higher price is one of the most effective ways for an independent pizza restaurant to compete against the national chains.

"As far as the food, that is the hard part, because they have their commissaries and get items obviously a lot cheaper," he said.

Rather than have to cut quality because of the increased prices caused by recent inflation and supply chain issues, Hansen said he does his best to work with his suppliers and come up with a solution.

"Lets work with the distributors, lets work with the vendors and the rebates and try to lower costs to make it somewhat competitive," Hansen said. "Obviously, we can't get down as low as maybe Papa John's can get theirs, but if you give a good quality pizza and you have to raise it a little bit, I mean, people understand that, and it seems to work."

Hansen said Pizza By The Guy makes fresh pizza dough daily featuring seven herbs and spices and a specially-developed proprietary pizza sauce.

With items like cheese at an all-time high, Hansen said he now has to sit down and take stock of his menu pricing compared to labor and food cost almost on a monthly basis, when before it was done about every three months.

"We try to keep premium toppings and make a good quality pizza, and if you have to pay a dollar more for my pizza, it is well worth it," he said.

Larry Owen, owner of PeezO's Pizza, 2100 W. 2nd St., agrees that while an independent, locally-owned pizza place might not be able to compete with the national chains when it comes to price, they can when it comes to quality.

"I believe there is room for independent shops," Owen said. "I don't think (the market) is oversaturated, I just think that prices can vary from a small place to a big place."

Owen said he has seen the cost of most of the products he uses increase between 50% and 100%, from pizza toppings all the way down to the pizza box.

Owen described his pizza as closer to thin crust, but with a local flare.

"It is authentic, and we are going to try and use some of the best products," he said. "It has more of a homestyle taste."

After joking that he had the best pizza in town, Owen said that he roots for all the other local pizza places in Owensboro to do well.

"In reality, I am a fan of all the other local establishments," Owen said. "I am not in competition with those places. I want us all to succeed."

Dennis Weafer said he purchased Fetta Specialty Pizza & Spirits in September 2020, eight years after the restaurant opened near Smothers Park in downtown Owensboro. Despite the existing competition from other pizza places, Weafer said he felt Feta would continue to be successful.

"I think Fetta had already kind of established itself and had a good following and a good name," he said. "Obviously the pandemic, at that time, was affecting everyone, but I wasn't really concerned."

With unique menu items like a mashed potato pizza, BLT pizza and locally-named Smothers Park pizza, Weafer said he he feels Fetta is different enough that the competition doesn't really factor into anything.

"We are making almost everything we are putting on the pizza from scratch here," Weafer said. "I am not pulling stuff out of a plastic bag and throwing it on a pizza. We are chopping veggies, we are cooking the proteins, we make pizza dough every day."

With a prime location at 118 St. Ann St., Weafer said Fetta is also able to benefit from the crowds that head downtown for events.

"Something big like the air shows, and of course Friday After Five, any event downtown at all, is a huge increase in business, especially when the weather is nice and people can sit out on our patio," he said.