BRANCHING OUT
Pizza Cottage opens location in Lewis Center with new look
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday.
The casual American restaurant in Lewis Center has been replaced by Pizza Cottage, which is making deeper cuts into the central Ohio market.
“The opportunity just came up with the building, the right opportunity at the right time,” Chad Dawson, a regional manager with Pizza Cottage, said of the new location, which officially opened Monday at 8753 Owenfield Drive. It is the seventh store in the Lancaster-based pizza chain.
“It’s very modern,” Dawson said of the 4,000-square-foot space. “It’s a complete, total overhaul for the building we took over. This is a new look and new branding for us inside the store.”
The look offers a lot of grays and blues, booths throughout the dining room and an open kitchen. A banquet space can seat as many as 100 guests or can be divided into three spaces.
The pie is the prototypical central Ohio style: ultra-thin crust (other options are available) made on the premises, a rich sauce that’s nicely balanced and fresh vegetables, Dawson said.
There are a several signature pies, in addition to build-your-own options. One is the loaded baked-potato pizza, with garlic butter, roasted redskins, a cheddar mix, bacon and chives, with sour cream on the side.
The crowd favorite is the BLT pizza: bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo capped with dough, making it more like a sandwich.
“We’re making 300 to 400 on a Friday night,” said Shane Shoemaker, another regional manager.
The menu also features wings, sandwiches, salads, calzones and pasta dishes.
Pizza Cottage has been on a slow march west since its humble begin
nings in 1972 as the Coney Cottage in Carroll, Ohio.
Founders Jack and Yvonne Gorham changed the name to Pizza Cottage a few months later. The couple opened more stores and shuttered a few along the way, and entered the central Ohio market in 2009 with a pizzeria in Pickerington.
Larry Tipton, who owns 10 Buffalo Wild Wings’ franchises, bought the pizza business in January 2017.
The growth plan is modest, Shoemaker said, with plans to open stores in Athens and Grove City in the immediate future.
“We don’t want to be on every corner,” he said. “We want to be able to take care of the customers that we have.”
Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 740-879-3001.
Catering outfit gets rebranded
Sue Preston and her daughter, Amber Preston, are now partners and have rebranded Preston Catering as Preston Eatery, 1093 Bethel Road.
The space will continue its extensive selection of grab-and-go meals but also has a menu of made-to-order items, such as sandwiches and salads, Amber Preston said.
Among the sandwiches are homemade cranberry chicken salad; a BLT with house-roasted turkey, candied bacon, Havarti cheese and Boursin mayonnaise on focaccia; an Italian sub; and ham and cheese.
Most sandwiches are $8 to $10. Preston Eatery also smokes its own salmon for garden salads.
There also is dine-in seating limited to eight customers, Amber Preston said.
She said she got her degree from Columbus Culinary Institute at Bradford School, now closed, and joined her
mother in her catering business, which she relocated to Bethel Road seven years ago.
Over the past year, however, the catering end took a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, so delivery and setup have been phased out, she said.
Large catering orders are still available for pickup, she said.
Mr. Hummus Grill expands
Mr. Hummus Grill is joining the Italian Village dining scene.
The Lebanese restaurant, with a location already on Bethel Road, will take over 5,000 square feet of space at 1131 N. 4th Ave.
A spring opening is planned.
Owner Tarek Albast said the space also has an 8,000-square-foot patio.
Love that chicken …
The word is out: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen will replace the former Boston Market at 5150 Tuttle Crossing Blvd. The site is currently under construction.
Dispatch restaurant reporter Gary Seman Jr. can be reached at onrestaurants@dispatch.com