By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The smell of pizza in the oven is in the air again in the vicinity of 516 E. Wooster St. in Bowling Green.
On Wednesday, Jay and Paula Williams opened the doors of the Pizza Pub 516 in the former location of Myles Pizza, which closed about a month ago.
Fans of the iconic eatery will likely feel right at home in the shop’s new incarnation, and that’s by design. Paula Williams said that they will maintain the atmosphere and many of the signature items, while adding their own touches.
The Williamses have experience taking over a favorite local dining spot. Three years ago, they bought Trotters Tavern in downtown.
The key to taking over a beloved restaurant, she said, is understanding the community. “We’re going to try really hard to make sure that everyone in Bowling Green feels welcome, and know that they’re going to get a good pie in a friendly atmosphere.”
She said they hope to grow the dining room business. “We’d like people to think of us when they think about where they’re going to go the watch the game. They can order a pizza and garlic bread and sit down and watch a sporting event with their friends.”
The pub will continue to offer the same style of thick crust that Chip Myles offered for 39 years. They’ve also added a thin crust as well as a gluten free crust. The thick and thin crusts are made in house.
Myles has refused to sell the recipe for his pizza sauce and the name. The Williamses tried to buy “the whole package,” but when they couldn’t, they went ahead and purchased what they could.
Pizza Pub 516 aspires to continue to be the kind of place where someone stopping by to pick up a pizza will likely to meet friends.
Regular customers will also find familiar faces among the staff. Williams said they hired everyone from Myles Pizza who was interested in joining the new venture. “The family we inherited” has been a great help in getting the shop up and running, she said.
She said they’ve also brought in employees from their other businesses – the family also own Quarters in Perrysburg – as well as their children Jessica, a senior at Bowling Green State University, and Andrew, a senior in Bowling Green High School.
Reliable, trustworthy and friendly help, Williams said, is essential to operating a restaurant. She said that’s the kind of staff they have.
That staff didn’t have to wait long to swing into action. Even though the restaurant’s computer system wasn’t in place, they opened anyway.
“It comes down to you’ve got to have the doors open,” Williams said. The food and drink were ready. The shop was ready. “It was time to sell some pizza,” she said.
While this would be considered “a soft opening,” Williams said: “It wasn’t really soft. It was pretty busy.”
Though there’s a menu printed, she said, they are still fine-tuning it. That’s done in consultation with the cooks and the rest of the staff as well as comments from customers.
Some items had to stay on the menu, she said. That included the garlic and pizza bread. And “the salads here are beautiful fresh large flavorful,” she said, though there will be a few added ingredients. “We’ve changed the presentation of sandwiches and subs to look more like our style of sandwich and sub.”
The hours will be Sunday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, they’ll revert to the 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. The last pizza order will be at 2 a.m.
Businesses like Myles symbolize “the importance of small business to our community.”
Many BGSU graduates have fond memories of the former pizza pub, and that includes the Williamses.
She said they had their first “real” date at Myles. Jay “is a townie,” she said, and suggested going. She had never been there before. They shared a pizza and a pitcher of beer. In the intervening years, they’ve became regulars. “We truly loved Myles pizza.”
Now students and locals will have the chance to create memories at Pizza Pub 516.
Asked if she foresees being around as long as Chip Myles, she said: “I’d like to think we’ll be successful, and we’ll continue to serve BG for a very long time.”
