Villa Pizza opens in Union today, prepares for business

Luis Jiménez/Summer Reporter FINAL COUNTDWON: Nancy Lannert, Villa Pizza's manager, checks the menu sign during the final preparations for the store's opening on Monday. Villa Pizza marks the first franchise store to be opened in the Union.

By Luis Jiménez
Summer Reporter

Villa Pizza, the newest addition to the Union's food stores, will be opening its doors at 10 a.m. today, marking the first franchise store to be brought into the Union.

According to Villa Pizza's manager, Nancy Lannert, the store's preparatory phase ran smoothly. Even when football-shaped, rather than round, pizzas came out during the employee-training phase, they were seen as examples of how not to do pizza, said Lannert.

Adorned with picturesque Italian landscape paintings and a portrait of renowned Italian actress Sofia Loren, Villa Pizza is expected to satisfy the student population's growing interest in the Old World cuisine of the Italian peninsula.

"Feedback from our customers indicated a high level of desire for Italian food to be served in the Union," said Gary Goldberg, Purdue Memorial Union director of dining services.

Lannert said the pizzeria is already receiving positive feedback from students.

"We've had some people that had just been walking by, and we've grabbed them as we were making the pizzas," says Lannert. "And the taste tests went really well; they really like the pizza."

Although the pizzeria will open without any inauguration activities and has avoided any hyped advertisement, Lannert feels students are excited about Villa's opening, especially because of the fact that the store brandishes a totally reconstructed façade resembling that of an upscale Italian bistro.

"We hope the doors will be blown off and we are staffed for that," said Lannert. "There is a lot of interest especially because of the brand-new construction."

Abby Morris, a sophomore in the School of Management, said she is looking forward to the opening of the shop. She is impressed of the store's decoration. "I hope their food tastes as good as it looks," she said.

Lannert said she along with Villa Pizza's corporate representatives have been working with the employees to make sure everything is "how it should be."

She said the 36 future employees went through a three-hour orientation session Friday, in which they were taught how to perform the different job duties and learn some aspects of sanitation among other things. Saturday's orientation took a more hands-on approach by giving trainees the opportunity to operate the registers, make dough and bake pizzas.

The 36 employees, Lannert said, are going to be double to 72 when regular session begins. She also said international students make for 40 to 45 percent of their staff.

Lannert, who has been part of the Union's staff for two years working as supervisor of the Oasis Café, said it has been reassuring to see how well Villa Pizza's crew has taken to making pizzas. "It has been fun but it's a lot of work," she said. "I can't wait to get day one done."

• Villa Pizza will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the summer and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. during regular sessions. The store will close only during major holidays and a five-day period over winter break.

Board approves computer science department building

Villa Pizza opens in Union today, prepares for business

Purdue’s radio station relocates into new home

Professors create a model to evaluate environmental risk

Purdue researchers study causes of nicotine addiction

Future military technology to improve soldiers' defenses

CAMPUS DESK PHONE:
(765) 743-1111 ext. 253

To send a letter to the editor, please email opinions@purdueexponent.org