Family Owned Pride

American businessman Danny Meyer once said: “A great restaurant is one that just makes you feel like you’re not sure whether you went out or came home and confuses you. If you can do both of those things at the same time, you’re hooked.”* That environment is felt inside of the Millville Pizzeria in the small town of Millville, Pennsylvania, ten miles south of Bloomsburg. With a diverse menu selection and welcoming employees and atmosphere, you can’t help but feel at home!

The entrence from the main road.

When people outside of Millville hear “the pizzeria in Millville,” most people’s mental image is of the Original Italian Pizza, a franchise with a location four houses away from the Pizzeria. The pizza shop is located in a house that was converted into a business and an apartment. The bottom holds the restaurant while the top holds a two-floor apartment that the owner, Tim Mordan, also rents out. The front offers a chipped red brick lawn, and the décor of the outside depends on the upcoming holiday. If a potential customer turns to the right-hand side of the Pizzeria from the street, there is an alley leading to a customer parking lot. From there, a set of wooden stairs lead up to a patio where many customers choose to sit during a warm, clear day. Inside, the walls are painted a dark sky blue. The half of the restaurant by the cash register has the wall split in half with wood paneling. Above the register rests two menu boards that show what one can order. There are some white sheets of paper filled with handwritten add ons, specials, and even the first dollar that was spent when the new owners reopened the shop. In the middle of the restaurant, the soda machine patiently waits in a small divot in the wall. Frames filled with local Little League and high school teams that the Pizzeria has sponsored over the years are displayed near the front door. Pictures of popular race cars sit in front of a couple of the older Little League teams.

The cash register area with an array of signs.

Ronnie Earnest, a long-time resident of the area, explained that “The Pizzeria has always been a ‘hometown’ restaurant, going back to when Rob Bower owned back at the Gris Mill.” The Gris Mill is what gave Millville its name, so to have a business that means so much to the town says a lot about the Pizzeria as a whole. The Pizzeria has been through many owners throughout the years. Most recently, Tim and Georgiana “Gege” Mordan bought the Pizzeria three years ago. Owning this restaurant completed a dream that Tim has had for many years. He reminisced on taking drives with Gege and “comment on what I thought a restaurant needed to fix. I thought it would be interesting to own a business.” Tim and his wife have only owned the business for three short years, but many improvements can be seen. Lexus Mordan, who has worked for both Tim and the previous owner, can attest to these improvements. She remarked that “I feel like our menu is more organized. Everything in general is more organized.”

Food is the arguably main reason people come to a restaurant. While the atmosphere is excellent and woven into the community of Millville, the menu also has much to offer. It is split into about ten different categories. Tim boasts that there are about 115 items on the menu and he hopes to expand it even more. The menu is already overflowing with options, so to some it seems impossible to expand! Cheesesteaks, hot dogs, wraps, and wings are already on the menu, among many other options. To check out the long list yourself, follow this link to their Facebook page where the menu is conveniently placed. With so many options, how does a person pick what they want? Here are some suggestions from the people close to the Pizzeria: Ronnie prefers a cheesesteak wrap or broccoli bites, “because they taste like broccoli cheddar soup when they are cold.” Lexus, however, suggests a cheesesteak in the garden or a Meatlover’s pizza. She reasoned that a cheesesteak is one of the best-selling sub on the menu, and she feels that the Meatlover’s pizza has so many different meats that it makes it more filling.

Besides the menu, what sets the Pizzeria apart from other shops across the area? Tim had a hard time answering this question, so he asked for assistance from a customer for his input. The older man, also intrigued by the question, pondered his answer for a second. The customer commended the local business for having delivery in such a rural area. He also praised the consistency of the food. Tim thanked the customer for his input and had an answer based upon the customer’s guidance: “The quality of our product. Each person does it different but when it’s done correctly, it’s great. We also have great relationships with our customers.” Customer relationships are the key to any business, which the Pizzeria’s popularity highlights. “We have a variety of customers,” Tim explains. People from all walks of life walk into the Pizzeria: people dressed in nice, office attire to people fresh off of their blue-collar job in a pair of dirty blue jeans and a grimy shirt to show off how hard they work. “Anywhere from one person knowing exactly what they want when they walk into the door, to people who talk between three to five minutes to decide what they want.” The Pizzeria has many regulars whose meal is easy to guess, as they rarely stray from their favorite meal. The employees are helpful to the new customers, directing them to a choice depending on what they are craving.

The Millville Pizzeria is a wonderful restaurant for many reasons, especially because its atmosphere helps you feel right at home. Additionally, its excellent food in combination with the good customer service and its standing in the community help establish it as a restaurant worthy of your hard-earned money. The employees are welcoming, helping, and cheerful. Customers love the “dinner and a show” aspect that many of the employees joke about since the Pizzeria is just one happy family that is ready to add more. Are you the next member?

*Meyer, Danny. “Danny Meyer Quotes.” BrainyQuote, Xplore, www.brainyquote.com/quotes/danny_meyer_704168?src=t_restaurant.