Living out a dream

by Denise Forsberg
Pharos-Tribune staff writer

May 12, 2008 04:16 pm

— WALTON — Despite making pizza six days a week, the food choice never grows old for the Murrays.
“We have been doing it for all these years, but we still love pizza,” said Mark Murray. “We still eat pizza three times a week.”
Owning a pizza shop haa been a life-long dream for Murray, and for the past 16 years, he and his wife, Jill, have been living out that dream with Hometown Pizza Shoppe.
“I thought it would be a fun thing to do and a good job,” he said.
When the couple first started in the pizza business, they didn’t know much about it, Murray said, but with some basic training from the person who sold them the equipment and after years of experience, they’ve gotten pretty good at what they do.
The only day of the week the restaurant is closed is on Mondays, but Murray said the couple are still out buying supplies on their only day off.
From Tuesday through Sunday, the owners don’t open the pizza shop until 4:30 p.m. since they both have other jobs.
“We need at least two hours before we open to get ready,” he said.
This much time is mainly needed to warm up two ovens, which heat to 600 degrees. They also make dough and set it out so that it can rise.
Sometimes, the owners prepare several pizzas and have them picked up even before opening, Murray said.
While the two busiest days are Friday and Sunday, Murray said that doesn’t mean other days aren’t busy, too.
“It’s difficult to know how busy it’s going to be,” he said. “A lot of the times as soon as we walk in the door it gets busy.”
During the times things do slow down, the owners start preparing for the next day. They make their own sauce and prepare dough.
When closing down for the day, other duties include filling cheese cups, preparing breadsticks, putting together pizza boxes and cleaning up.
Murray said the most difficult part is making sure he has all of his shifts covered. Since his four employees are high school students, each has other activities to balance with work. Three are seniors getting ready for graduation.
Still, he said, working with people, both the workers and the customers, is the best part of the job.
“A lot of pizzas are made here for a small town,” he said. “We are thankful for all our customers and employees over the years.”
Even though the job can become stressful, Murray described it as a good stress.
“I like to be busy,” he said. “It’s more stressful if we’re not busy.”
Murray says he has never kept count of how many pizzas are made on average, but he says the restaurant stays busy. Exactly how busy, he says, determines the closing time.
“We don’t have a closing time,” he explained. “As long as we are making pizza and are still busy, we stay open.”
Generally, the doors close by 10 p.m., but during busy nights, the restaurant has stayed open until midnight.
“I’ve never told anyone I’m closed,” Murray said.
Denise Forsberg can be reached at (574) 732-5151 or via e-mail at denise.forsberg@pharostribune.com

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