Wheelhouse Pizza officially opened its doors just before Memorial Day and is cranking out several specialty pies as well as customer favorites made to order.
“Despite the fact that our signage is still not up, everything else has been pretty much flawless,” said chef Mark Milner, who operates Wheelhouse with Port City Holding Co. owner Kent Tomaselli.
Wheelhouse is located in a 360-square-foot, red-roofed building from the 1930s at 1215 N. Fourth St. near 1898 Memorial Park. The restaurant is just large enough to hold a kitchen with two deck ovens and a restroom.
There are a few picnic tables on site for now, with plans for a fenced area with additional seating by the fall.
“Every day, we’ve gotten a little busier,” Milner said. “We’ve done very little marketing, so it’s mostly been word-of-mouth that has brought people in and we already have some repeat customers.”
Customers can place orders at the walk-up window, or place orders by phone or online for pickup or delivery. Wheelhouse currently has two electric bikes for delivery within a 2-mile radius, and they also work with GrubHub.
Milner said all of the specialty pizzas have been popular across the board, particularly the pesto goat cheese with roasted tomatoes and pecorino, and the Garlic Love with red sauce, mozzarella, raw garlic, toasted garlic, roasted garlic, caramelized onions and pecorino.
“People have been experimenting with new flavor combinations,” Milner said.
In addition to whole pies, Wheelhouse offers a few options for slices each day, as well as a special stromboli. The menu also includes two flatbread sandwiches, a turkey bacon ranch and an Italian grinder with prosciutto, ham, salami, lettuce, onions, tomato, banana peppers and Provolone, and two salads, a garden and a Greek. Beverages include water, canned sodas and sweet tea.
“We’re still feeling out what people are responding to,” Milner said.
Wheelhouse Pizza is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
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