by justin strawser
COAL TOWNSHIP - The owner of a new pizza shop coming to the township said he has three ingredients in his recipe for success.
"The product, a fantastic business plan and a brain trust of good friends and family," said Giovanni Piccolino, who will be opening Buona Pizza in The Plaza at Coal Township, between Fine Wine and Good Spirits and Panda King Buffet, in April.
It doesn't hurt either to have "the best pizza on earth" at affordable prices, the 35-year-old Scranton man said.
Piccolino is the co-owner (with his cousins, Mario and Anthony Piccolino) of the first Buona Pizza, which opened in Scranton in 1966, and a second location in Greenridge, which opened in 1987. They took over the business from their parents, Americo and Mario Piccolino.
He will be opening the third store in Coal Township with his business partner, Domenick Depastino, of Harrisburg. Depastino and his father own 200 properties between Harrisburg and Ocean City, Md.
The idea to expand the business was inspired by various phone calls from people who used to live in or had visited Scranton, requesting delivery across state lines such as Michigan and Oregon.
"I've never heard one person say 'your pizza sucks.' Never, ever heard that ever. If they buy one slice, they get another one to go," he said.
His over-arcing goal: to surpass the popular pizza chain, Papa John's, which has more than 3,500 restaurants in all 50 states and 29 countries.
Free pizza
On Thursday, Piccolino received the final blueprints for the 2,000-square-foot space, 9349 State Route 61, and owned by Timber Development Corporation.
There will be a few renovations made to the property, including drainage lines and a fresh coat of paint. Other than that, once the equipment and seating is moved in, he expects to open by April 1 with a special promotion for customers.
"The first day or two, I'll be giving free pizza to whoever wants to try a slice. I'll feed the whole area. I'll just let them taste it. That's the ultimate advertisement," he said.
Otherwise, a large pie will cost $12.
In addition to pizza, the menu will consist of subs, appetizers, salads, pasta and fries, among other items.
Piccolino and the pizza shop gained a bit of notoriety after they won a nearly five-year court battle to prevent the Scranton's redevelopment authority from seizing their buildings by eminent domain. Last year, Lackawanna County Judge Robert A. Mazzoni ruled that Scranton Redevelopment Authority "arbitrarily" tried to condemn the property at 504 Lackawanna Ave. and give the real estate to a politically connected developer as part of a $20 million redevelopment project.
The authority has appealed this decision to the Commonwealth court.
"I think people liked us fighting the government," Piccolino said, who also ran for city council last year. "We pay our taxes, we give to the community. (Coal Township) will find out how much I give to the community."
His motto is just that: if you give to the community, there's no reason the community won't give back.
"It's really good food at good prices. If you go by that mantra, you can't lose out," he said.
Coal Township Board of Commissioner President Gene Welsh said he was aware of the business coming into the township, but had not yet spoken to the owner.
"We welcome all new businesses and we're very excited about them coming into the area. We're very happy to hear about this. We wish them the best," he said.
Piccolino said he is excited about coming into the township.
"I look forward to making our presence known in the community," he said.
Mexican Restaurant
A Mexican restaurant will be located on the other side of the Chinese buffet, according to an advertisement, but efforts to reach the owner have been unsuccessful.
A representative of J and M Construction Specialists, Williamsport, said Wednesday that their duties of electrical and plumbing will be completed today.
A representative of Timber Development said the owner, named Jesús, is planning on moving equipment into the space today.