TAKE A LOOK AROUND — Pizza Artista set to open soon in Groves
Published 12:20 am Saturday, December 18, 2021
By the time customers pay for their food and get their drinks, their pizzas should be ready out of the oven. (Chris Moore/The News)
George Geisel prepares pizza dough at Pizza Artista in Groves. (Chris Moore/The News)
Pizza Artista is located at 3814 Main Avenue in Groves. (Chris Moore/The News)
By the time customers pay for their food and get their drinks, their pizzas should be ready out of the oven. (Chris Moore/The News)
Pizza Artista uses an assembly line format to let customers design their own pizzas. (Chris Moore/The News)
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GROVES — After several years in the pizza business, George Geisel decided to take a chance at owning his own pizza spot. Geisel, who worked at Domino’s for many years, is now the owner of Pizza Artista, which is set to open the week after Christmas.
The chain originates in Louisiana with locations in other states, but the Groves location is set to become the first in Texas, Geisel said. Pizza Artista is located at 3814 Main Ave.
The restaurant’s format is similar to a popular sandwich chain.
“They can create their own pizza,” Geisel said. “They come down the line. It is almost like a Subway. They can come tell us what kind of crust they want. We have cauliflower; we have regular or gluten-free crust. We have regular sauce, spicy sauce. We have marinara sauce and alfredo sauce.”
Customers then choose their cheese and topping as they make their way down the assembly line.
“At the end, they pay and get their drinks and by the time they get their drinks and get ready to sit down, their pizza is ready to go.”
Geisel worked at Domino’s for 30 years.
“This is my first business to own myself,” he said. “I really came out of my comfort zone. I am really taking a step out. Pizza is in my blood, though. I grew up with pizza. My favorite type of pizza is a bacon cheeseburger pizza. It tastes good.”
Geisel said the location is hiring and those interested in applying can stop by the restaurant.
Along with the pizza, the eatery offers bread bowls, chicken wings and salads.
Groves City Manager D.E. Sosa said Pizza Artista is helping to revitalize the business district.
“Every business is important,” he said. “But, this is a situation where he is helping build up a really old shopping area.”
Sosa said the shopping center in which the eatery is located used to be known as the Spears Shopping Center decades ago.
“If you look at the whole thing now, it looks like it is going to be nice, nice,” Sosa said. “It may regain some of its old prestige and become a really nice shopping area again…These things seem to snowball and feed on themselves. When you see movement and positive, it brings more people in to look. I know they are going to see more interest in all of those other spaces available. That is our business and shopping district and has been that way since the 50s and 60s.”
