Old River Pizza Company

[nebugeater]

So what is the story on Old River Pizza Company? Located in the Manawa center it opened up about two weeks ago. Did a search after the name went up and didn't find anything on them other than the CB paper mention of a building permit. Based on this I figured it was a single location place.

Went their for lunch today for the first time and was kind of surprised to see their logo say since 1961. Don't know CB that well but have I missed the obvious? Is this relocation from some other place in the area or is this part of a chain that I didn't find any info on on the WEB? They have a backwoods decor. Looks like a Minnesota theme based on the signs in the place.

Pizza was good by the way and they were pretty busy when I was in there. There were three guys in there talking at a table next to me that had the manager / owner come talk to them a bit. Seemed like they were franchise type people and they were talking about additional locations. Not sure if they were there as part of this place or as friendly competitors trying to scope the place out.

[icejammer]

Looks like your Minnesota based theme is dead-on:

"The Old River Pizza Co."

Must be their first stab at expansion outside the Twin Cities. Haven't been there yet, just noticed it a couple days ago being open. Always happy to sample some new pizzeria.

And this got me thinking, CB has seen quite a number of sit-down restaurants open in the past year and change, moreso than in any comparable period while I've lived here:

• Old River Pizza Co.
  Hu Hot (right next door to Old River)
  Skeeter Barnes BBQ (Mall of the Bluffs)
  Valentino's (Shoppes on Madison)
  Islamorada Fish Co. (Bass Pro Shop)
  La Mesa (South Expressway)
  Cellar 19 (Valley View Village)
  Ranch Steakhouse and Saloon (formerly The Cavern, coming soon, supposedly)
  Jack Binion's Steak House (and others, in The Horseshoe)
  Ruby Tuesday's (looks to be nearly ready for opening)

And I'm sure there's others, just drawing a blank. Of course, this is somewhat offset by the closing of the oldest DQ in the country. [/list]

[icejammer]

Got a chance to sample the fare, and I would rate it as very good. I'll have to sample it a few more times before I would compare it to other places, but it's good. I would give the "Old River Specialty Ale" two-thumbs up without further review though.

[old river]

The old river pizza co. is in fact from northern minnesota (bemidji). The first city on the mississippi. This is the first franchise, of hopefully many! The stores in Bemidji are called Keith's Old River Pizza Co.. There are two stores, one of which started in 1981. The second in 1999. The grandfather of the current owners got started in the pizza business in 1961. The father opened the first Keith's pizza in 1981. The current owners are two sons, who took over ownership in 1996.

The council bluffs location is operated by the Podraza family from carter lake, IA. They have a franchising plan to open three additional stores over the next five years, in the omaha market.

The old River web site has been under development for several months, and should be completed by july. Currently oldriverpizza.com is available, with a basic menu, and email registration.

The pizza formulations are from scratch recipes. Not much is processed!
The ground beef is cooked with a unique blend of seasonings, the taco meat is freshly cooked weekly. The sausage is bought locally and mixed three times per week. The sauce is made with stanislaus tomatos, and is slowed cooked for over two hours to build a stong, flavorfull product. The chicken toppings are marinated and baked on the site. Not that processed stuff!! The cheese is a special mozzerella blend of South Alma cheeses. The dough goes through a special proofing process, to develop a crispy crust, as well as cooked in a Marsal & Sons deck oven. [b]Conveyor ovens, NO WAY!![/b] Things are done right to build great pizza.

Hopefully this is enough info to answer most questions. Let me know?

old River

[icejammer]

Welcome old river, and you can be sure I'll be back for more!

[midtown charlie]

Great! Now I am hungry for Pizza!!!! Specifically Old River Pizza. Thanks A lot!!

[Brad]

I am not compairing Old River to Boston's, but the franchising plans reminded me that Boston's Omaha franchise was going to open something like a store a year for 5 years as part of their franchis contract, but never happened. The rest, besides the one in LaVista were going to be freestanding buildings.

Couldn't compete with Old Chicago, I guess.

There was a classified ad in the Omaha World Hearld back in Jan or Feb that said Papillion/LaVista area pizza/sports bar for sale, I assumed it was Boston's

[nebugeater]

Thanks for the info O.R. Was / Is/ And Will be a lunch destination for me working nearby on the Husker side of the river. Good luck and hopfull there will be many sucesses for you! It is one of the better pizza's that I have had around here and I have sent a few people their via word of mouth already.

[Rarou11]

Well hello all! I currently work at Old River as part of the Kitchen Staff. I'm glad to hear that you all enjoy our food, and I hope that you will continue to enjoy our store for years to come!

We do make everything fresh (as Old River said), but my favorite part is getting the dough ready for the pizzas! I've always been a baker at heart, and working with the dough has/will always be the best part of the job!

I've had a chance to try almost all categories of the food that we serve, and everything tastes awesome! All in all I do have to say that the Pizzas and Calzones are my favorite!

So, if you haven't tried it yet, I hope that you would take the plunge and try us out! As my Mom always said, "Just try it! You might be suprised, and you might like it!"

[eomaha]

Welcome to the forum Rarou!

I guess I'll have to make a trip over there and check it out.

[icejammer]

A nice write-up in the local paper:

Old River expands city's pizza offerings

Jared Podraza with parents Tammy and Tim have opened the city's latest pizza shop at 3120 Manawa Centre Drive. The Podrazas are Carter Lake natives and Thomas Jefferson graduates, but it was while Jared was playing baseball at Bemidji State that the encountered their business opportunity.

The two Old River Pizza locations became a favorite lunch spot for the Podrazas. They struck up talks with Scott and Bill Andersen, sons of the founder and owners of the third-generation family business that was founded in 1961.

When Jared graduated last spring with his business degree, they, and he, had a plan. The Council Bluffs restaurant is the first in what is becoming a franchise operation.

Old River Pizza features high ceilings, track lighting and a log cabin or lodge feel with many of the decorations coming from Bemidji.

The restaurant opens daily at 11 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:30 on Friday and Saturday and 8 p.m. Sunday.

An enthusiastic opening has the family excited about the future of their business and there is talk of a second location.

[icejammer]

After 8-1/2 years, Old River Pizza baked their last pizza last weekend.

[skinzfan23]

After 8-1/2 years, Old River Pizza baked their last pizza last weekend.

That is sad to hear... I had been there about 3 times and loved it. I thought the restaurant was nice for being in a strip mall. I never even got to try the Big Ax.

Their website still lists CB as a location.

[Jason4225]

That is too bad. I used to go there for lunch. I thought they had good calzones and always enjoyed their service.