A pizzeria where you eat by the slice has opened in a Sunshine Coast beachside suburb, inspired by a young couple’s love of New York-style pizza.
Nick Bunce and Laura Mitchell (pictured) are behind Dicky Beach’s latest food offering, Nick’s Pizza Co, where they hope to create a unique and relaxed food experience for diners.
Taking over a vacant restaurant space under Portobello by the Sea, the couple is excited to step into their own business venture and combine their professional backgrounds.
Mr Bunce’s passion for New York-style pizza began after living in South Carolina for two years and working in an American pizzeria.
The 27-year-old, who recently worked to help set up Frank and Moss restaurant at King Beach, loved the idea of getting back in the kitchen and bringing his love of pizza to locals.
“I wanted to open up a New York pizzeria because we don’t really have anything like it anywhere around on the Coast and I really, really missed it from back in the States,” he told Sunshine Coast News.
“We do all our own hand-made, hand-stretched, hand-tossed dough. We just do 18-inch pizzas, which are huge. Imagine three times a normal takeaway large pizza.
“What we do, like in the New York pizzerias, is people can order by the slice, so you can go in and order three different kinds of pizza and you don’t have to fill up on one pizza.
“It gives people the opportunity to try different types of pizza while they’re there. That’s what I’m all about – people trying new things. That’s why I love cooking.”
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Having studied business at university, 24-year-old Ms Mitchell said that while opening a business was “nerve-racking” especially post-COVID, the couple was up for the challenge.
“It’s a pretty big venture, but I think the most exciting part is overcoming that COVID struggle,” she said.
“Nick being in the hospitality industry, he lost his job at the start of COVID, so it’s been an uphill battle the last two years for both of us.
“I think this new challenge is just so exciting, especially for him to get back into his passion and do something that he really loves.
“It is nerve-racking doing our own business, but I think Nick’s got the experience in hospitality and I’ve got the experience in business.
“We also draw on our families, as we’ve got a lot of people in our family that run their own businesses, so we take advice from them.”
The pizzeria will include a full-service bar with cocktails, and as far a pizza favourites go, Mr Bunce said diners were loving two flavours in particular.
“I think probably the fan favourite all around, for me and the customers, seems to be the ‘Big Saus’, which is pepperoni, Italian sausage, salami, meatballs, mushrooms and garlic.
“Probably followed second is the ‘Peter Piper’, which is pepperoni and pickled peppers.”
Nick’s Pizza Co held a soft opening in late October and the couple said the pizzeria had been well-received by the community.
“We probably had about 100 people just on the soft opening night, so it’s a good sign that all the locals are there to support us,” Ms Mitchell said.
“We’ve got some really good employees too, which is good. You need people that you can rely on, so I think we picked a really good crew.”
As well as their focus on food, Nick’s Pizza Co will also be a place to help local musicians secure live gigs on Friday and Saturday nights.
“We’re trying to support a lot of the local musicians around as well because, like Nick, they lost their job at COVID,” Ms Mitchell said.
“We’re trying to get them back on their feet as much as we can for a few hours a night, also to create a more inviting atmosphere for everyone while they’re having pizza and drinks.
Nick’s Pizza Co is located at 6 Beerburrum Street Dicky Beach and open Wednesday to Sunday from 10.30am.
