The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Pizza and ice cream shop to open
Bobbie’s Place Pizza and Ice Cream in Painesville Township has stirred up a lot of excitement.
Owners husband and wife Bobbie and Tom Pete will be soon opening the new eatery at 970 Riverside Drive where Kuhar’s Pizza Oven and Dairy Freeze was located. Kuhar’s closed in 2017 after being opened for 40 years.
“The closing of Kuhar’s last summer saddened the community and will forever be missed,” said Painesville Township trustee Josh Pennock.
However, Pennock said he is looking forward to Bobbie’s Place opening.
“I used to actually work at Kuhar’s with Josh a long time ago,” Bobbie said. “I worked here off and on for over 20 years. I learned a lot from working here and Mr. Kuhar taught me a lot about the business.”
Bobbie and Tom are Painesville Township residents.
“We live right down the street,” she said. “One day we drove by here and my husband asked me ‘what I thought about buying this place’ and we decided to just do it.”
After purchasing the property, they began extensive renovations last December, Tom said.
“We had a vision,” Bobbie said. “We had to do a lot of research to make sure we had the right equipment and to bring everything up to code. So that’s been a
The menu will feature salads, warm or cold subs, burgers, chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, hot dogs, nachos and of course pizza and ice cream.
journey.”
They removed a wall to add 300 square feet to the kitchen, added new electric and plumbing throughout, installed new air conditioning and heating, remodeled the restroom, added LED lighting, painted the interior and exterior, added a new front porch and resurfaced the parking lot.
“We also have all new appliances — new pizza ovens, prep tables, a walk-in cooler, a commercial freezer and refrigerator and ice cream machines,” she said. “It’s a lot bigger and brighter.”
They hired about 10 parttime employees, many of whom are still high school students.
Bobbie said they value their employees.
“We will listen to their feedback and offer many incentives,” she said.
The menu will feature salads, warm or cold subs, burgers, chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, hot dogs, nachos and of course pizza and ice cream.
Bobbie believes the Meaty Mite, which will have pepperoni, sausage, ham , meatball and bacon and the BBQ Chicken with barbecue sauce, chicken onion and cheese, will be popular pizza selections. Sundaes , milkshakes, flurries, soft serve ice cream, hand scoop ice cream, malts and floats and a variety of ice cream toppings will be available. Pets treats will also be sold.
In the future, they hope to expand the menu and add dinner packages like pasta, salad and ice cream.
There will be picnic tables with umbrellas on the west side of the building.
“We will also put out a few yard games for the kids,” she said. “Our vision is to make it very family-oriented. We just want to make everyone feel welcomed here. “
Bobbie’s Place will be open year-round.
Curbside service will be offered and they are even considering delivery services.
“They can pull up place an order and we will bring it out to them,” Bobbie said. “So, they don’t have to even get out of their vehicle.”
The couple is hoping to open in a couple of weeks, as they are undergoing the final inspections.