New pizzeria in town proves to be a success

When first hearing about the new pizzeria being built in Greene County, Waynesburg University senior business management major and Greene County resident, Ryan Brownfield, was skeptical. His first thought was, “Great, just what we need. Another pizza place in this small town.”

After the opening of Fat Angelo’s Pizzeria earlier this summer, Brownfield’s opinion had almost immediately shifted.

“I was blown away. The food was very quality and I felt that it was reasonably priced, especially for the portions that they give you,” he said. 

Brownfield, among many other students, were happily surprised at the quality of Fat Angelo’s. 

Bob Cochrane, co-owner of the pizzeria, noted that the community’s response has been fantastic and everyone has been very supportive. 

Despite the town already containing four pizzerias – Dominos, Pizza Hut, Casa Capri Pizza and Scotties Pizza – Brenden Lesinski, a delivery driver at Fat Angelo’s, said they’ve been busy since the opening in June.

“It’s not that we don’t have places here in Waynesburg, but people really like our pizza, people really like our product,” Lesinski said. “So, we take pride in that.”

Lesinski believes Fat Angelo’s success is based on their unique menu and “the strong sense of family that we have as employees to each other.”

Fat Angelo’s unique menu features specialized pizzas and sandwiches. Some of the specialized pizzas include loco taco, ranch steak and fry, italian steak and pierogi pizza. One of their famous specialities is called ‘The Beast.’ It gets its name from its 30 inch size, totaling 48 slices of pizza. What makes the pizza even more of a “beast” is the challenge that you can partake in.

“If you come in and order a Beast pizza for The Beast pizza challenge, you have I think 40 minutes to an hour to finish it by yourself,” Lesinski said.

No one has accomplished the challenge yet at the Waynesburg location, but if you complete the challenge you get your picture hung up on the wall in the restaurant. 

Lesinski said these specialties and the contest Fat Angelo’s offers make them stand out from all the other pizzerias in town.

“I think our specialty pizzas and our specialty sandwiches really put us ahead of the game in the pizza industry in Waynesburg because we’re used to and accustomed to ‘plane jane pizza,’” Lesinski said. 

Brownfield testifies to this statement by pointing out the variety of the menu when comparing it to other pizzerias in the area.

“I would say that it beats most of the other places. For the variety that is provided in the menu and for the taste that is given is pretty great,” Brownfield said.

Cochrane said their success is quite simple. 

“We have a better variety of food. We have top-quality meats and produce,” Cochrane said. “Our stuff is top quality and I think we have a pretty good track record from [the existing] six or seven locations.” 

Cochrane and Lesinski are not worried for business to decrease when Waynesburg University closes for breaks. 

“We appreciate the college students and the faculty for purchasing off of us, which really means a lot to us, but we’ve always had a strong market,” Cochrane said. “It does increase our sales when the students are in, but we’re still in general doing higher than expected too when they’re not here.”