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    Aficionadough: Tommy’s Pizza…Aging Empire vs. Post-Pandemic Pizzeria Plights

    For those readers that know my body of work in different formats and publications over the last two decades, the tone of some of the following paragraphs is likely to cause dissonance. My guiding principle in writing has been to perennially accentuate the positive in my support of local, small businesses. I once owned a local business and know what it is like to struggle to keep it going. So let me begin with this true statement: I have never had a bad pizza at Tommy’s. (Although over the last three years, I have experienced different tiers of good.) Many people in Columbus grew up on Tommy’s, however I was late to the show. My family has patronized Tommy’s consistently since moving to Upper Arlington four years ago. I do have a very distinct memory of loading up on pizza at the UA Tommy’s as a potential last carry out meal the day before the city shut down for Covid in 2020. So as you continue on, view elements of this essay not as a diatribe or expose, but a well intentioned shot across the bow or Martin Luther-esque tacking of theses to a door.  

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    In the beginning…..of Columbus style pizza, there was Tommy’s Pizza. Today it is one of the last of our OG pizza makers. It is the oldest pizzeria in town still owned and operated by the original family. The Upper Arlington location operates at one of the oldest pizzerias sites in town (Rubino’s in Bexley is the oldest) and has one of the oldest deck ovens in Columbus. Tommy’s offers a quintessential Columbus style pizza, their interpretation of dough and crust is incredibly hard to replicate or replace. 

    Thomas (Tommy) Iacono’s family were immigrants from Sicily. He grew up in Silver Creek, New York where his family had a food business. Iacono found himself in Columbus after World War II. Using family recipes he and his father had developed over the years, he opened the original location of Tommy’s at 2729 E. Fifth Ave. in 1952. The famous Columbus Dispatch food writer Doral Chenoweth (known as The Grumpy Gourmet) noted in a 1989 article that he had his first pizza ever at this location when it served only pizza. In the early days of the pizzeria, Iacono rolled pizza crusts using his wife’s wringer washing machine.    

    In 1963, Iacano opened a second location in Upper Arlington on Lane Avenue near the intersection of North Star Road. The first incarnation was essentially a shack to serve pizza. In 1967, a new building was constructed at 1350 W. Lane Ave. This spot became the “flagship” location for Tommy’s in the subsequent decades, but is still called the shack by long-time employees.

    The reach of Tommy’s Pizza expanded slowly over the years. A third location opened shortly after at 1430 S. Hamilton Rd. It was an east side icon for decades. (It closed in 2014 after a shooting and never reopened). In 1978, a Tommy’s was opened at the corner of Neil and Lane avenues (174 W. Lane Ave.) securing even stronger ties to The Ohio State University campus. In the mid 1980s, a fifth location opened in Dublin at 4279 W. Dublin Granville Rd. Over time Iacono shared ownership of the Hamilton Road location and another at 3020 E. Broad St. with manager and partner Jim Gillilan. Eventually Gillilan bought the rights to the Broad Street location which is now known as Joe’s Pizza. The pizza and the pizza boxes seen there today are reminiscent of Tommy’s.  

    Iacono passed away on December 31, 1998. All of the restaurants were closed for the funeral with pallbearers including long-time employees and mourners spanning business competitors to long-time customers.

    When most people envision Tommy’s, they think about the two Lane Avenue locations. Many customers were introduced to Tommy’s while attending classes at OSU or visiting for home football games. Many residents of Upper Arlington made Tommy’s Pizza a tradition through the decades and generations. 

    Tommy's on campus
    Tommy’s on campus

    That was then. This is now. At the end of 2022, I plotted out the 2023 Aficionadough article lineup placing Tommys at the top. I then realized I have never been to the Dublin Tommy’s. At the time, it was the last location that still had regular dine-in service so I thought that anomaly would be a good spin for this story. I called to confirm they had dine-in. I then got side tracked for a few months. My tentative title was Tommy’s of Dublin, Jewel of the Empire. When I finally had time to go, I decided to take my son with me because he was craving pizza. 

    Tommy’s of Dublin was not so easy to find. It is recessed in a retail strip where it is sandwiched between Oakland Nursery and Oakland Nursery Home. When we walked to the entrance, I experienced a moment of dread followed by minutes of terror. I spied a sign that stated the dining room was not open. I had a hungry 7-year-old I had promised pizza so I did not have time to place a carry out order and wait without anything to entertain him.

    The sandwiched Tommy's Dublin
    The sandwiched Tommy’s Dublin

    I’m a contingency planner to the core so my plan B was to go to Iacono’s in Shawnees Hills. Dad fail two. Every parking space was taken and there was a long line at the door. We ended up going to Wendy’s for our dude’s night out. Boo! That being said, this debacle was on me, I know better than to assume hours of operation in a post-Covid restaurant world. A few weeks later I had a carry out pizza from the Dublin Tommy’s. It was good and mirrored what I have come to expect from the business over the years. However, nothing about my two Dublin experiences resonated with the term jewel, it was more of a cubic zirconia encounter.  

    Tommy’s half pepperoni, half sausage

    Alas, the photos I took on those missions were even worse than my typical photos so I decided to order from the Tommy’s around the block from my house. I ordered efficiently online (because my neighborhood Tommy’s rarely picks up the phone), received a pick up time via text, decided to run some errands as I waited and while driving to Tommy’s (Lane and North Star), just four minutes before the stated pick up time, I received a text stating my order was canceled because an item(s) was unavailable. What the frak Tommy’s? It was a big order. Could someone not call me to offer a substitution to save the sale or could they just offer me what they did have and let me decide my dinnertime fate? Nope. Once again, I had a hungry, cranky kid in my custody and needed food fast. I called Iacono’s (on Kenny) because they do pick up the phone. I placed my order and picked it up in 17 minutes. (Note: Iacono’s is owned by one of Tommy’s sons who forged his own way in 1978.) 

    It was at this moment the downslide of Tommy’s I observed via online discussion over the last few years became personal. If you look at the Yelp reviews for all of the locations a definitive change of tone can be seen over the last year. In Upper Arlington, there are two cult institutions integrated in the DNA of legacy Golden Bears: a fascination with driving golf carts on residential streets and a belief that Tommy’s is the only place that serves pizza worth eating. The Upper Arlington Discussion Forum on Facebook (not for the weak of heart or for those under 45) has frequently wondered if Tommy’s was closing, closed, or still, heaven forbid, worthy of blind devotion. The consensus usually comes down to, “Well I still love it, but not like I used to.” How did this happen? How has good lovin’ gone bad?  

    The signs of Tommy’s trying times are: reduced hours, limited or no in-house dining options (depending on the location – Upper Arlington offers table service at lunch during the week…probably), and little to no customer interaction in-person or by phone. Yes, a global pandemic exacerbated the causes that led to this shift in operations.

    The primary issue is staffing; there are not enough people to fully staff any of the locations or most local restaurants for that matter. When there are not enough people to cover shifts, businesses need to reduce hours, reduce services/servers and sometimes menu items. The simple solution offered by those outside of the restaurant business is pay more money. The current starting pay at Tommy’s is $13 per hour which is markedly better than $9 in 2019. However, in an industry that is chronically understaffed, $13 is not a competitive wage, but more pay is hard to sustain for a small business. A default answer is often to hire more teenagers. Times have changed and pizzerias are not a target opportunity for today’s youth. More importantly, the critical skill of properly manipulating a deck oven to make a Columbus style pizza is not an innate competency for most nor a task a manager can justify to teach to someone that may ghost a business in weeks or days. As for answering a phone – that takes more time and a dedicated staff member versus having an application manage your orders. Covid made delivery a must for most customers and remains a habit that the majority continue to cling to. These are some of the symptoms and realities of the newer normal. 

    Signs of the times - Dublin's closed dining room, and hiring with a pizza pun
    Signs of the times – Dublin’s closed dining room, and hiring with a pizza pun

    For a business that relies on long-time, historically loyal, legacy customers, the greatest loss is a social disconnect that was created in 2020 and continues to fester. The mode of operation is now mainly transactional, not personal. It is very easy to order a pizza without having any direct connection or even eye contact with anyone at Tommy’s. While the quality of the product is the primary motivation to order again, pizza, more than other foods, is a social food, made to be shared. Pre-Covid and during the pandemic, it was something many of us shared with our families once a week. In the early months of Covid, pizza was one thing we could depend on so any speed bumps were ignored because we were grateful to have anything to connect us to the before times.

    Today the rituals and traditions of a neighborhood with a family-run pizzeria have experienced a humpty dumpty effect and I am not optimistic these mores can be put back together again. Pizza is the most competitive niche in the restaurant industry. In Columbus, our local pizzerias have consistently beat national averages in a battle for survival against large, national chains. However, today, more than before, the chains can pivot faster and pay more than a mom-and-pop business. Pizza eaters in Columbus are shifting from fidelity to promiscuousness. In UA, the Tommy’s or bust mentality is dying and new customers are not filling the void. 

    Tommy’s sign looms over Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington

    Is this a fixable or teachable moment? I don’t know. My unsolicited advice for an old school business would be to use archaic marketing to reconnect with customers who care about connection. The cost of a banner sign which highlights current hours, dining options and an ordering website is minimal. In the past, for the tradeoff of listing a beverage maker in the signage, the fee would be on the house. At the Lane and North Star location, if letters are still made for their old marquee sign – buy more and add more information to the signs. I’d even consider taping half-sheet flyers to each pizza box to thank customers for their business, advertise for employees and share stories about Tommy’s employees and servers that are still with the business.   

    Tommy’s is a business that is worth the effort and in some instances, the patience, to support. When I think of a quintessential Columbus style pizza, Tommy’s is the first place that comes to mind. The crunchy, air pocketed, crispy crust seems just a bit crunchier than the competition. If you like your pizza well done or extra crispy, Tommy’s delivers this variant consistently when requested. Another Tommy’s touch, that many places do not follow, is a dusting of what I believe is Romano cheese, which adds just a tinge of extra flavor, that in my opinion takes their pepperoni pizzas to the next level. 

    Up close and personal with Tommy's - notice the dusting of cheese on the pepperoni
    Up close and personal with Tommy’s – notice the dusting of cheese on the pepperoni
    Tommy's Pepperoni Pizza of perfection
    Tommy’s Pepperoni Pizza of perfection

    Another area of excellence is the Italian Sub, which is always worth the investment to upgrade to the double meat option. The core elements of the sub are: ham, salami, pepperoni and provolone cheese, topped with lettuce, tomato, hot banana peppers and Italian dressing. The extra meat option makes a good sub great. The only fault I can find, which is personal preference, is my long held belief that lettuce and tomato or any non-pepper vegetable should be added to a sub after cooking, not before. However, this is easily overcome because I typically order my subs without those meatblockers.  

    Tommy’s Italian Sub (double meat)
    Tommy’s Italian Sub (double meat)

    If you are a long-time Tommy’s fan, stick with them as long (and often as you can), like any relationship there will be times that may try your soul, but remember the best of times. For those that have not tried Tommy’s, the business is still worth your time and effort. I’d suggest ordering online and picking it up in-person and limiting your order to pizzas and subs which are not likely to be out of stock. The glory days might not be coming back soon, but there is still more than enough good to seek out and support. 

    For information on all three Tommy’s locations, visit tommyspizza.com.

    All photos by Jim Ellison

    The Columbus style way - one rectangle at a time
    The Columbus style way – one rectangle at a time
    Delicious pizza awaits inside
    Delicious pizza awaits inside

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    Jim Ellison
    Jim Ellison
    Jim Ellison has been eating his whole life and has gotten pretty good at it. Along the way, he started writing about his adventures for his blog, CMH Gourmand (in 2006), magazines, websites and even content for the early days of CU. In the realm of pizza, most recently he wrote the book, 'Columbus Pizza: A Slice of History' however long-time Columbus Underground fans will recall him as the instigator of Pizza Grand Prix I - VI. Writer, eater, enabler and champion for mom & pop pizzerias, he covers pizza places, pizza culture and occasionally other culinary rabbit holes as our carb-craving correspondent. You will find him on Instagram at @CbusPizzaHistory. 
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