The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
GOING STRONG ONE YEAR AFTER FIRE
Lu’s Pizza’s new location providing carryout, delivery during pandemic
Despite a fire that destroyed the building that housed Lu’s Pizza in Grafton on April 1, 2019, the restaurant has since moved into a new location and is going strong by providing pickup and delivery amidst the novel coronavirus closures.
The pizza shop, located at 945 Main St., has set up a small area in its patio to serve a free meal to children who are unable to eat their normal school lunches due to the schools being closed.
“I just know that a lot of the kids get free lunches when they are at school, so I just want to make sure they have that,” said Elaine Brown, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Jim Brown. “I also know a lot of them are working hard on their school work, so this was an idea that I had as a way to give back to the community that has supported us.
“We are offering a free piece of pizza for the students and if parents want a slice, it’s $1. I also have chips and water to go with their pizza.”
Brown said the free-pizza
program is based on how good the weather is and the day of the week.
She said she will announce the next free meal on Lu’s Facebook page.
The fire
Brown said it was a tough experience when the business burned down and relocated.
“It’s been an experience,” she said. “It’s been a lot, it’s very rewarding, but it has been a lot of work, anytime you have to start from the ground up.
“The new building was already here; it used to be the old Grafton Pharmacy years ago. We all laugh because when you look at the one side of tables, that’s where the candies used to be.”
Brown said the new location has increased the size of the restaurant.
“We went from like 1,500 square feet to 3,000, so it’s a very impressive building,” she said. “There is a lot of room, and a lot of space to do things.
“We have a lot of space inside, and with the patio, we have room for about 30 more when we set up all the tables, chairs and umbrellas. I hope we get a chance to do that this year. In the old place, we could seat about 24 people at max inside. We really doubled the amount we can have.”
Brown said the move took a little longer than she would have liked.
“When (the inspectors) came in, it passed with flying colors,” she said. “I think I turned it around pretty quickly; the fire was April 1 and we opened Sept. 23.
“We just came in and worked day and night to make it work.”
The renovation
Brown said there was a lot of the building that needed to be redone.
“I ended up having all that stuff ripped out,” she said. “Five dumpsters later, we also had to build the wall and get that approved.
“Over there (the old location; 935 Main St.), you were grandfathered for everything, and being over here is like a whole new world. It was tough (finding a landing spot on Main Street).
“There was another option that was kind of off the beaten path, and there probably would not have been enough room for all the stuff we need. The outpour of support from the community has been wonderful. I can’t thank people enough, that’s why I feel like giving back.”
Brown said the hours of the business have not really changed with dining area closures.
“I had actually changed them to winter hours,” she said. “We were doing 3 to 9 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; Thursday is 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday we open at noon to 9 p.m.
“We are getting the calls in and we are getting a lot of deliveries too. We are doing a lot of porch deliveries for people that don’t want to handle anything; they just give us their credit card and we send the pizza out.”
A new pizza
Brown is encouraging customers to try the new fireball pizza.
“It’s a new pizza I just discovered,” she said. “I started trying different things. We do a mini pizza; I think of different things and we sample them before we put them on the menu.
“The fireball is very hot, very spicy. The treatment is we put a golden hot honey that we drizzle across the top, and that just brings it all together. It has jalapenos, banana peppers, it has a spicy sauce and cupped pepperoni.
“That one makes you sniffle. I also came out with a Reuben pizza for March, and it went well so I think I’ll keep it on the line.”