Bob Foos
It wasn’t as hectic Tuesday morning as it had been the night before at the new Simple Simon’s Pizza restaurant in Webb City.
In a pre-opening event, from 5 to 6 p.m. Monday, Simple Simon’s staff handed out more than 500 free large pepperoni pizzas and calzones through the drive-thru window.
“It was a little bit crazy,” admitted said Andy Martin, during the grand-opening ceremony Tuesday morning. He and his wife, Amber, decided to move their business to this new location when their lease ran out at St. Louis Avenue and Broadway in Joplin. They bought the franchise two years ago.
Andy grew up in Carterville, and Amber is from Webb City, so they wanted to invest here.
Andy thanked the city for being easy to work with and especially thanked the police officers for working the traffic the night before.
The East Street property was purchased from the city by Mike and Sharenda Younes, of the Younes Development Group.
Sharenda said her heart was initially set on a coffee shop, but then she thought, “Do we really need another one?”
While most pizza chains are concentrating on pick-up and delivery, the Martins believe some customers still want to dine in and go up to the salad bar. “That’s why I think we’ve got a niche here,” says Andy.
In Joplin, he says their tables would often be full, so they’re doubling their seating capacity to 70 in their new shop.
In addition to the salad bar, the pizza buffet is offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. And it’s buffet night on Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m.
Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.
