New owners say they won't mess with success
COSHOCTON − A longtime pizza joint in Coshocton is under new management, and the new owners said they are committed to delivering what they believe has always been the best pizza in town for generations to come.
Pizza Point at 301 Walnut St. was founded in 1967 by Edward Robert "Bob" Blaho Jr. He died in November, but Casey and Kayla Davis had started talking to him about taking over last spring and finalized the transfer before his passing.
Casey had worked for Domino's Pizza while in high school and he credits that for putting him through college. Even before owning the business, Casey thought Pizza Point was the best around. He confessed to not even finding better pizza on a trip to Italy.
The Davis' prescribe to the old theory of if it's not broke, don't fix it. They believe Pizza Point is so good because of the way it's always been made, and that won't be changing. The dough and sauce will continue to be made fresh daily with the same recipes dating back to its founding. They also use deck ovens, which is different from the conveyor ovens a lot of other pizza places use.
"I think it's the fresh ingredients we do everyday and the crust we do everyday. It's the crispy crust we do on the deck style oven," Casey said on what he likes about the shop's pizza. "The sauce, it's the recipe Bob came up with back in the day. It's a combination of everything."
The Davis said community support for them has been strong and business has been good since they took ownership on Oct. 31. The number on thing they've heard, however, is requests not to change anything. Casey said that is totally the plan.
"Our goal is to just keep this a Coshocton icon," Kayla said. "While treating our customers and employees they way they want to be treated."
The Davis plan to be hands-on owners while not giving up their previous jobs. Casey works for American Electric Power and Kayla is a nurse for River View Local Schools. They have nine employees at Pizza Point.
The original Pizza Point was at the corner of Main and East Main streets. It then grew to two locations at 11th and Walnut Streets and in the Newell Mini-Plaza. Those closed in 1998 and the new building was constructed.
Shortly before his death, Bob and his wife, Karen, released a letter to the community about the Davis taking over and their confidence in them.
"We have had numerous talks and meetings with them and decided together that they would be the best fit to continue our business of Pizza Point," the letter stated. "We would be honored if you would continue to support their business just like it was ours."
Casey said that letter meant a lot to him as it was something Bob didn't have to do. Casey recalled Bob's reaction after he worked a shift to get a feel for the inner workings of the restaurant.
"When we had a conversation afterward, I could hear it in his voice how excited he was for me to takeover," Casey said. "It means a lot to me to continue what he had going."
Pizza Point is open for pickup only from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 3 to 10 p.m. Friday to Sunday and 3 to 9 p.m. Sundays. It's closed on Mondays. In addition to pizza, subs, snacks and pop are also available. For more information, go to its Facebook page or call 740-622-3157.
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: New owners say they won't mess with success
