Popular Pizzeria Reopens in New Town

By Kimberly Lenz Friday, March 05, 2010

A serendipitous turn of events has reopened zPizza in New Town and provided a business opportunity to a couple who’d sought it unsuccessfully five years ago.

The franchise, known for its healthy pizza options including a gluten-free pie, closed suddenly in November. A sign posted on the door said management had shut down the restaurant for being in default on their lease.

On Thursday, the pizzeria was open and giving away slices at lunchtime. By dinner, word of mouth led to a line of customers that snaked out the door and didn’t let up for a couple hours.

Owners Kellie and Eric Kruizenga were first interested in a zPizza franchise before Marriott transferred the couple from Arizona to Williamsburg. Both have years of experience in the hospitality industry; Eric Kruizenga is the general manager of the Wyndham Patriot on Bypass Road, and Kellie worked in human resources at Kingsmill. They met, Eric said, when both worked at the Hyatt in Irvine, California.

Despite their interest, they learned the franchise for the Williamsburg area was already wrapped up. That changed when former owner Jim Carr ran into trouble with his lease.

Eric Kruizenga said the landlord, Shor Real Estate, contacted zPizza’s corporate headquarters to see about keeping the franchise at New Town. Although the parent company is located in Irvine – where the Kruizengas met – the couple is local, living with their 5th-grader daughter and two dogs in First Colony.

By mid-December corporate had called the Kruizengas to see if they still had interest and by mid-January the couple’s new business was in the process of obtaining a liquor license to serve beer and wine. By mid-February they’d signed a lease for the New Town space.

Business was steady Friday just after noon, with four gluten-free pizzas already made and sold. A corporate training team worked with new employees in the kitchen.

Eric Kruizenga said the corporate team had been at New Town for four days, treating the reopening as a brand-new store.

The pizzeria will feature the same fresh pies – everything is prepared, right down to the cheese shredding, on site – as the first zPizza incarnation, along with gluten-free “Red Bridge” beer brewed by Anheuser-Busch and wines from the Williamsburg Winery. There will be some changes, too.

Kruizenga said to expect outdoor seating, with bar service, in the spring. A patio fence, required for serving liquor outdoors, has been approved and outdoor furniture should be on the way soon.