PIZZA FARM
Generations of families have not only eaten at the Pizza Farm, they’ve worked there as well.
Tommy Sanders’ children, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws, and more all have been employees at the restaurant.
For many, including Tommy’s sister-in-law, Christy Sanders, it was her first real job when she was growing up.
“Those who have worked here already know how much Pizza Farm means to not just Polk County, but Bartow County, Paulding County. Growing up and working at the Pizza Farm, I met some of the best people I’ve ever met and they went through my life with me. Everyone that works here knows the Pizza Farm is very important to all of the surrounding area, and we’re proud to see it open again finally,” Christy Sanders said.
With much of the antique items in the original restaurant destroyed or damaged
by the fire, Amanda Sanders said they worked to get more of those type of items in the new location by going through relatives’ homes and purchasing them through online auctions.
There are also three antique wagons next to the road. Two of them were donated by Johnny Kendrick, while the other — painted in the Pizza Farm’s classic green and orange — came from the original location and was restored.
“The five tables in the party room came from the (original) Pizza Farm, and there’s a few various things that survived, but not many,” Amanda Sanders said.
Sanders opened with only pizza and salads on the menu, two rooms and five employees. He eventually expanded the restaurant to employ over 25 people and have seating for more than 200.
“Nobody thought we would make it, including me,”
Sanders joked. “We had to make the kitchen bigger and add seating almost immediately. We didn’t have any experience. We just learned as we went along.”
And after 50 years, there have been many employees who have joined three generations of Sanders’ family in working at the restaurant known to local diners as well as those who may have moved away.
Stories of people getting recognized when they travel around the country while
wearing Pizza Farm shirts is not uncommon.
“For so many people, this was their first job,” Tommy Sanders said. “A lot of the time when we hired somebody, we hired their family too. They would just get involved with what we did here. I think that’s a good thing.”