Apr. 18—Opening a restaurant has been a dream of Alice Givens since she was a teenager.

"This is a venture that my father (Carl) and I had talked about doing since I was a teenager. He ended up getting sick and passed away" in 2011.

Now, Givens is realizing that dream, along with business partner Bobbie Jackson, opening a restaurant named "3.14" in the food court of the Haute City Center mall. The business opens on Wednesday.

While math was a favorite subject of Givens, using the numerical name of "Pi" seemed appropriate for a business that will sell homemade pies.

"I just thought it was clever," Jackson said.

"Pie is one of the main things we will sell here. There are not a lot of places you can go and get homemade desserts," Givens said. "This is pretty fast and convenient for someone who is on the go," she said.

Full pies are available, but slices are also offered, such as peanut butter deluxe, peanut butter cup, turtle, cookies and cream, strawberry banana shortbread or chocolate truffle. And, there is a build-your-own slice with toppings.

The business will also offer horseshoes, which are open-faced sandwiches allowing any toppings — such as Philly cheese, fajita, chicken bacon ranch and barbecue chicken — to go on top. That includes "full-service" fries.

"The setup is a like a Chipotle (Mexican Grill) or Moe's (Southwest Grill), so you start with your fries or a sandwich, anything that you can get as a horseshoe you can get as a sandwich as well," Jackson said. "You can build your own or get one we already have set up."

The business, opening Wednesday, will have hours from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; then 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday; and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Jackson moved to Terre Haute in 2004, while Givens has lived in the city since she was 3 years old.

"I grew up coming to the (Terre Haute) mall a lot just to walk around the mall and always wanting to get food," Givens said of choosing the mall to open her restaurant. "I used to come to the arcade and I feel like it is time to get something new and fresh," both in the mall and in the city, Givens said.

"We have high hopes this can bring a little more foot action" to the mall, she said.

The new business will start with four employees. As part of a grand opening on Wednesday, the business will have a raffle drawing every hour from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for items from local businesses such as Embroidery Express and others, Jackson said.

Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached 812-231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com. Follow on Twitter@TribStarHoward.