Hometown Pizza serves up delicious slices and more
Want a solid slice of pizza or something else that will make you smile and fill your belly? Look no further than a Rockmart restaurant who has been serving up pizza pies and more for 20- plus years, and expects to continue for years to come.
Opened on June 14, 1990, Hometown Pizza and Grill has established a legacy spanning nearly 3 decades in Rockmart, and one of the city’s oldest pizza suppliers shows no signs of slowing down.
Hometown primarily serves Italian-American cuisine and does so six days a week.
The restaurant is open from 11a.m. to 9p.m. on Monday through Wednesday, 11 a. m. t hrough 9:30p.m on Thursday, and 11a.m through 10p.m on Friday and Saturday.
Hometown offers delivery for those who can’t or don’t want to venture downtown, but those who want to show up in person can find the building at 246 W. Elm Street.
Of course, the main reason citizens gather at Hometown is because of the food, and the main dish served at Hometown is pizza.
“One of the happiest time of my lives was when I was in high school and I worked at pizza restaurant,” Smith shared with Business RadioX. “I knew the basics of it, I understood it and I got to work with a lot of managers-- so I decided I would take my savings and open up a pizza restaurant.”
Since its 1990 debut, Hometown has grown to sponsor a much larger host of items, however. Wings, pasta, burgers, and calzones are just a few of the items customers can find inside.
“By broadening the menu, you offer reasons to come back more and more each week,” Smith said.
Another way to find the restaurant is to look for the pizza place’s banner that has been proudly hanging alongside the restaurant for years.
“That banner really makes the place stick out,” said Rockmart citizen Brandon Whitehead. “It’s always brightly colored, and it mentions wings so it automatically captures my attention.”
The 246 W. Elm St. places the restaurant in a smaller, pseudo- strip mall section of downtown Rockmart, but Hometown’s banner serves as an iconic attention drawer.
Once pulled in, the customers are met with a mainly red interior with light decorating inside. The restaurant is a casual eatery that lets customers seat themselves, but Hometown has a stock of waitresses on their staff that help customers.
Decor aside, Hometown creator Rick Smith has shared that “Hometown has always been structured around family.”
“All my kids have always worked there. My son- in- law runs it now and he’s been with me for around 14- 15 years,” Smith said.
Hometown is one of many pizza places in Rockmart- let alone Polk County- but the 27 year old restaurant has managed to make its mark on the town. Hometown’s menus feature advertisements from local businesses, the building is rented out often for parties, and large portions of the town gather in the restaurant for Tuesday trivia night.