Vincent Rotolo, creator and owner of the Arts District pizzeria Good Pie, has news he’s been itching to share with the world.
“We are opening Good Pie Number Two in Henderson,” the pizzaiolo exclaims proudly. The second location will be 835 Seven Hills Drive near St. Rose Parkway and Horizon Ridge Parkway.
The location previously housed Angelina’s Pizzeria. Even as Rotolo gets his first peek at the plans for the new space and awaits additional permits, demolition work in preparation for his new buildout has already begun.
Rotolo says his primary goal for the new pizzeria “is to give people an authentic and genuine Good Pie experience” regarding food, décor and atmosphere.
The Menu
That means a diverse menu that will go far beyond the rectangular Long Island Grandma Pies that have become the pizzeria’s signature to embrace everything the original location offers and then some.
“There will be pizza by the slice,” says Rotolo. “There will be Grandma. There will be New York Street Slices. There will be Brooklyn round pies. There’ll be Detroit. There’ll be Sicilian. There’ll be Gluten Free. Everything that people have come to expect from a Good Pie experience – the fried ravioli, the calamari, the meatballs – it’s all gonna be on this menu. And we’re just gonna add in a few more pasta specials.”
Recognizing that prices are increasing everywhere, forcing many to tighten their restaurant budgets, Rotolo also promises family-focused value menus.
“There will be a family-friendly, large package [menu] — like a family dinner that we’ll do,” Rotolo explains.
“We’re using high-quality ingredients, and it’s not the least expensive pizza out in the world. But we feel it’s the best value for what you’re getting. So, we want to appeal to the families of Henderson. And I’m working out some really cool things to do just that.”
The Vibe
The new space will also have a bar program to rival, perhaps exceed, the one at Good Pie’s Main Street location. Expect a full liquor license, cocktails on draft from Tito’s and Casamigos, and Bloody Marys that use pizza sauce as a base.
As for the décor, Rotolo tells his fans to expect “booths, and the tin ceiling tiles, and the little black-and-white hex tile on the floor; all the things that are branded décor items of Good Pie.” And, of course, that also means Grandma photos.
Since day one, Rotolo has used Good Pie to tell the story of a Long Island, New York style of pizza known as the “Grandma Pie,” which Italian-American matriarchs made for the kids on weekends using the sauce from their “Sunday Gravy.” In honor of those grandmothers, an entire wall of the original location is decorated with photos that his friends, family and customers have donated of their grandmothers.
Rotolo says he’s already measured the Grandma Wall(s) for the new location, which has plenty of room.
“If I have the same grandma pictures that we do on Main Street – a lot of four-by-sixes, five-by-sevens, a few eight-by-tens – there’s room for 800 grandma pictures in the new location. And I can’t wait to reach out to the community of Henderson and immortalize our community’s grandmothers.”
Why Henderson?
Rotolo says he chose Henderson for location number 2 for many reasons.
The Main St. location draws customers from throughout the valley. However, after analyzing its customer database, he found that “Henderson is the most popular zip code for current Good Pie customers.”
Moreover, Rotolo is friendly with many other Henderson pizza makers. So he’s consulted with folks at some of the East Valley’s top pizzerias — including Metro, Rebellion, Joey’s New York Pizza and Carmine’s Pizza Kitchen.
“I’ve talked to all of them about the community, and we’ve been welcomed with open arms, not just by the pizza eaters of Henderson and potential customers, but also by the pizza community of Henderson,” says Rotolo.
Most importantly, however, he says he feels good about the space, the landlord and the neighborhood.
“I’ve always been a guy who follows his heart. I put my heart into my food. I lead with passion. And things have to feel right. There have been other spaces that almost became Good Pie. But it’s got to feel just right in the heart for me. So when I walked in this place and got the feel of the energy in there, I fell in love with it.”
Opening Date
It’s still too early to pick an exact opening date for the Henderson Good Pie. But Rotolo feels confident in predicting it will come sometime in September – hopefully in time to commemorate his late father’s birthday on the 23rd.
“We will open in September of 2024,” he promises. “If it’s September 30th, then we’re late. If it’s September 1st, then we’re early.”
