Despite last week’s historic flooding, Lit Pizza opened its doors last Monday on Burbank Drive, ready to serve locals affected by the storm and students looking for affordable dining options.
Lit Pizza chief operating officer Brad Mire said it was important to open Monday because he wanted the restaurant to serve as an option for people who could leave their homes to eat. Located close to campus, the pizza restaurant offers everything from meatball to zucchini toppings and stays open until 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and until 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
This is the only Lit Pizza location, Mire said.
Decked out in modern accents, the restaurant’s interior pays homage to a new and improved Baton Rouge, with stainless steel appliances and contemporary lighting fixtures. However, restaurant co-owner Ozzie Fernandez said there are more local tributes than the decor — they work with a slew of stores in the area to collect homemade pizza ingredients.
“We use high-quality flour from New Jersey, make the dough everyday and we grade our own cheeses,” Fernandez said. “We are doing this on a thin crust New York-style pizza.”
Fernandez, who also owns several Izzo’s Illegal Burritos franchises, said he wants people to be able to choose, pick or customize their own pizza, much like they can at the burrito bar.
Using a wood fire oven, Lit Pizza employees can make a pizza in three minutes. Mire said they are trying to make ordering pizza for lunch more convenient by offering faster service.
Fernandez said Lit Pizza aims to provide high-quality pizza that allows customers to add any amount of toppings for $8. He said the restaurant accepts TigerCash.
“Lit Pizza is catered with the college student in mind, but it is also really, really good,” said history sophomore and Lit Pizza employee Connor Pecoul, whose workplace attire includes T-shirts with slogans like “Get lost in the sauce” and “You craft it, we blast it.”
Since students have returned to campus, Pecoul said business has been booming. He said he enjoys his job, which he found on craigslist.
“We get your order, and we get it out in less than five minutes,” he said.
After she tried Lit Pizza for the first time Saturday, mass communication sophomore Kameron Thomas said she enjoyed both the pizza and the cheap prices.
Though he is familiar with the slang definition of the word “lit” and even uses it frequently, Fernandez said the meaning behind Lit Pizza’s name has more practical roots.
“We use a wood fired oven, so the flame being lit is where [the restaurant’s name] came from,” he said. Fernandez said there will be an announcement about a new location soon.
