Mount Pleasant gets three new pizza shops
With three new businesses ready to serve students and community residents, Mount Pleasant is on its way to becoming Pizza central.
The new pizza shops include Bell’s Pizza, Vin Trofeo’s and Blaze Pizza.
Bell’s Greek Pizza of East Lansing, recently opened its second location at 304 W. Broomfield St. Owner Niko Bell said the opening ceremony was on Oct. 17.
Located next to the Towers Residence Hall Complex and open as late at 4 a.m., Bell's caters to students and late-night crowds.
Bell said the pizza place has only opened in college towns and college students are some of their target customers. Since they’re a Michigan business the next logical step was to open a location in Mount Pleasant, he said.
Bell said his parents started the business in 1967 in Amherst, Massachusetts, but moved to Michigan in the early 1970s. He said the pizza recipe and quality of food sets them apart from pizza chains.
“It’s a tried-and-true recipe that’s been around for more than 40 years,” Bell said.
Other than pizza Bell said they make calzones, wings, pasta, salads and grinders.
On the other side of town in the downtown area another pizza restaurant, Vin Trofeo's, will make its debut.
Owned by the trio Will Baird, Tim Chaffin and Neal Shelper, the gourmet restaurant will be located on 120 S. University St.
Baird recognizes that there are a lot of options for pizza in Mount Pleasant, but they are all the same and too commercialized, he said.
“I wanted to bring the authenticity back to the product, back into the pizza,” Baird said.
Vin Troefeo's will be a pub, offering around 20 beer taps. Baird doesn’t want to make a sports bar, but a pizza place that also happens to serve alcohol.
With delivery as an option, he said Vin Trofeo's will sell grinders, salads and calzones and would like to create a recipe for gluten-free pizza dough.
Baird said all the food products – from the bread to cheese blends – will be made on-site from scratch.
Baird said there isn’t a tentative date on the restaurant’s opening, but said the building is under renovations. He said it should be open before Christmas.
In contrast to Vin Troefeo's, another pizza place coming to Mount Pleasant is Blaze Pizza, a chain, fast-food restaurant.
According to the Blaze Pizza website, "exceptional quality at lightning fast speed" is their motto.
While they don't offer delivery, Blaze Pizza does offer a build-your-own pizza option. Customers can choose their favorite sauce, cheeses and toppings.
Mount Pleasant City Planner Jacob Kain said the fast-growing chain restaurant will be located in a shopping center between 1218 and 1222 S. Mission St., next to Pizza Hut and Arby's.
The land is owned by Mission Street Enterprises LLC, Kain said. He said the company will be franchising the location as well.
Central Michigan Life reached out to Mission Street Enterprises for a completion date but did not get a response.
In addition, a new service road is being constructed right next to the future Blaze location. The road connects South Mission Street and East Campus Drive.
