By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
A 26-inch X 18-inch pizza is not only jumbo, it’s also heavenly.
The giant-sized pizza with 24 slices feeds 8-10 people, and it’s a signature “pie” available from the new Heavenly Pizza at 1414 E. Wooster St. in Bowling Green.
While the jumbo pizza, with any toppings, is the shop’s specialty, their other pizzas are available as 16-inch (dubbed the “junior jumbo”),14-inch,12-inch, 10-inch pizza pies, and pizza by the slice. The menu also includes subs and foldovers, salads, pasta, appetizers, beverages, and desserts.
The business is new to Bowling Green but not to the area. Bill and Kelli Jones are the co-owners of the pizza shop that is the first official franchise of the Findlay-based Heavenly Pizza. And the Findlay location is owned by Keisha and Josh Elchert, the daughter and son-in-law of John Hill, the original co-owner of AJ’s Heavenly Pizza in Tiffin.
There are also other AJ’s in Fremont and Upper Sandusky.
The Bowling Green location was a former convenient store, before it was completely renovated for Heavenly Pizza, said Jones, who, with Kelli, is also the principal broker and owner of RE/MAX Unlimited Results Realty in Tiffin and Findlay.
He has been a real estate broker and agent for 20 years and a former Papa Johns’ franchise owner. Jones actually got his start in the pizza business at AJ’s Heavenly Pizza in Tiffin. It was his first “big kid” job, when at 16, he started as a delivery driver for John Hill’s shop.
“I just love this pizza, their pizza sauce and their unique house dressing, which is a closely guarded secret recipe,” Jones said. “I also love Heavenly Pizza’s culture.”
He wants the BG store to offer a positive culture that prioritizes customer service.
“Like when you walk into a Chick-fil-A, it seems like they’re happy to be there and want to take care of you,” Jones said. “We want to be like that, where we have a lot of fun, but also everybody knows when it’s time to dig in and work.”
Also, the deliveries will be handled by store employees. As of now, they don’t plan to use Uber Eats or Door Dash. “It’s nothing against them,” Jones said, “But we like our people trained so that we control the customer service experience.”
Deliveries, currently only for orders within Bowling Green proper, will be available throughout the shop’s open hours—Monday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 10:30 a.m. to midnight. Heavenly Pizza is closed on Sundays.
Jerry Holland is the name and face of Heavenly Pizza Bowling Green. Out of 170 applicants for the shop manager position, the Bowling Green native was chosen to lead the BG location. “He lives right here and has been involved in food service for a long time, so we felt like he was a great fit,” Jones said.
Durbin Schultz is the assistant manager and social media coordinator.
For the Aug. 22 grand opening, the shop offered free pizza, drawings for free pizza each week for a year, a bounce house, train rides and free Kona Ice to introduce Heavenly Pizza to the community.
Jones plans to continue the commitment to the community that was started by original owner, John Hill. He and the Heavenly Pizza team are still known for their generosity, often supporting local causes and employees.
In the weeks prior to the grand opening, the Bowling Green shop delivered free pizza and subs to various businesses and organizations in the city.
“We really want to be part of the community and everything that’s going on,” Jones said. The staff will work hard to connect to the community, homeowners and renters because “those are your base people who are here year-round and the ones we want to keep happy.”
Being next to the Bowling Green State University campus “is kind of the cherry on top,” he said.
Heavenly Pizza Bowling Green makes their dough fresh daily. Any sub buns that don’t get used are donated to the BG Christian Food Pantry, and if there are any pizza mistakes, those will be donated to local organizations, he said.
“We want to feed as many people as we can, whether they’re buying food or we’re donating. We really want to plug into the community,” Jones said.
To order for pickup or delivery (currently only within Bowling Green proper), call 419-392-9510 or order online at www.HeavenlyPizzaBG.com.
