Where It All Began…
East Hill Pizza restaurant opening on Wednesday with a familiar local recipe
Jake Newby Pensacola News Journal, Published Sept. 11, 2018
East Hill Pizza opened September 12, 2018 and Pensacola News Journal paid us a visit right before our Grand Opening.
“If you missed Chubby's Pizza in East Hill, then go ahead and get excited, because it's coming back.
Sort of.
East Hill Pizza opens on Wednesday at the former Chubby's location of 2030 North 12th Avenue in Pensacola. The incoming husband and wife co-owners are bringing a new flare to the pizza shop, but they'll be sticking with the Chubby's recipe after buying it from the previous owner.
"We love the East Hill area, love the location," said T.J. Zoltak, who bought the business with his wife, Darlyne, in early July. "That, coupled with the deliciousness of the dough, that's why we decided to do this."
Neither one of the Zoltaks are new to business ownership — Darlyne owns HH Realty, a Pensacola real estate brokerage, while T.J. owns two Anytime Fitness gyms in Alabama. “
The couple is keeping Chubby's pizza recipe, but they're switching up pretty much everything else, from the interior design and the menu to the hours of operation.
Perhaps the most exciting change for future patrons is the addition of beer and wine to a previously alcohol-free restaurant.
"It is important to know, as a beer guy, the craft beers we'll be selling are mostly all local," T.J. Zoltak said. "Pensacola Bay Brewery beers, Fairhope, 30A. We have some of the usual stuff, too, like Bud Light, but I think people are going to really enjoy our craft beer selection."
Pizza-by-the-slice will be available during lunch time, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., daily. Unlike Chubby's, East Hill Pizza will be open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m.
The 1,000-square-foot space the Zoltak's are working with will seat about 35 people inside and another 10 or so outdoors in the front of the building. A couple of TVs will be mounted on the walls, and the restaurant is planning to expand its seating out onto a back patio area in the coming months.
The four 18-inch specialty pizzas on the menu pay homage to the city they're baked in, with each being named after a road in East Hill: There's the De Soto, the Moreno, the Bayview and the 12th Avenue. You can also create your own pie or venture outside of the pizza pie realm by ordering garlic cheese bread, garlic twists, stromboli, wings or the pizza bowl.
The co-owning couple held a soft opening for family and friends Monday night and is looking forward to doing as much business as possible right out of the gate, starting with Wednesday's grand opening. They're not exactly sure what the grand opening will consist of, but they invite the public to come by and try the new/old pizza for themselves.
"We're really excited, we're just ready to rock it," said Darylne. "Every single one of our staff has pizza-making experience, so everyone's ready and excited to bring a great, new restaurant to East Hill."
East Hill Pizza will be available for delivery through the Waitr app, including alcohol deliveries.
Jake Newby can be reached at jnewby@pnj.com or 850-435-8538.
Read the entire article here