Tonya Bowen has always dreamed of owning her own business and that dream recently became a realty with the opening of American Pizza Pie at 24 West Main Street.
“I always wanted to have a business of my own and one day my husband came home and said ‘do you want to give it a try’” Tonya said.
“It was always a dream of her’s and we decided to give it a try,” Joe Bowen, Tonya’s husband said.
The business was essentially a turn-key operation. The location had previously been home to a number of pizza places and all the equipment was already in house. The only thing that was missing was a little institutional knowledge, something Tonya has since gained at home.
“I had to practice making dough,” she said.
The eatery had a soft opening on July 7 and interest in the new business has steadily grown since.
“We wanted to start slowly so we could kind of get used to it. But it’s been picking up a bit. Friday night was really good,” Tonya said.
The eatery has thus far been an entirely family-run affair. Tonya and Joe, who have been together for eight years and live on the Granville-Whitehall town line have handled all the aspects of the business themselves, from the advertising to the cooking.
The eatery offers pizza and other related free for pickup and has a few tables for diners who want to sit down and eat. Tonya said American Pizza Pie will offer wings, French fries, and even chicken parmesan.
“It’s made with real chicken, not that fake, processed stuff,” she said.
The menu also includes lasagna, eggplant parmesan, spaghetti, calzones, specialty pizzas and a variety of appetizers and subs.
Tonya said the couple’s primary goal as of right now is to “increase the lunch crowd” and they hope to add delivery in the future.
American Pizza Pie is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 to 8:30 p.m. on Sundays.
The eatery can be reached at 642-1012. They are also on Facebook.