New River Pizza going healthy in new Fort Lauderdale location
New River Pizza and Fresh Kitchen
706 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, 954-618-7000, NewRiverPizzaOnline.com
Randy Wilcox has converted his 26-seat, fledgling Wok into the new home of his 17-year-old comfort-food eatery from across the street and added Fresh Kitchen to the name for a healthier bent.
“The overhead was high, and consolidating from 65 to 20 employees is a lot easier,” he says. “We’re going non-GMO chicken and grass-fed beef. It’s where people’s diets are going. The Heart Attack ($14.99-$22.99) is still the best-selling pizza, but the new roasted-veggie pizza ($13.49- $20.49) is doing well, too.”
In fact, he’s added five healthy pizzas with options such as quinoa crust for $1.99 extra. “We’re making gluten-free crust in-house and have true whole wheat,” Wilcox says.
The healthy entree section is also new, and includes churrasco with farro salad ($14.99) and wild salmon with spinach and quinoa salad (market price).
“I was quite surprised by the eggplant ‘meatballs’ and zoodles ($12.99),” he says. “Zoodles are zucchini that are cut like spaghetti strands, replacing the pasta. We’re also using rice-bran oil for the fryers, which helps lower cholesterol. And we have a dedicated gluten-free fryer.”
Wilcox preserved the simple, rusticwood decor of Wok and installed the pizza oven.