By Sharon Still
Earlier this year, Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza opened its newest location in Riverview. This is the third area location for franchise owner Cole Kilen, who also operates a location in New Port Richey and Brandon at 859 Lithia Pinecrest Rd.
In 1981, Papa Murphy’s introduced freshly-made pizza that customers take home and then bake in their own ovens. Today, Papa Murphy’s is the largest Take ‘N’ Bake pizza company in the world and is now the fifth-largest pizza company with over 1,360 stores in 41 states and Canada.
Kilen commented that he originally tried Papa Murphy’s more than 10 years ago in Grand Forks, N.D. and instantly fell in love with the concept. That day a seed was planted and his dream became a reality as he moved from northern Minnesota to Brandon to pursue it and open these stores.
At Papa Murphy’s, patrons can create their own or choose from a menu of signature, gourmet, stuffed and thin crust pizzas. The dough is made from scratch and pizzas are topped with freshly grated mozzarella and hand-sliced vegetables. The pizza is then carried out, taken home and popped into the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit at the convenience of the customer to create fresh, bubbling hot pizza.
“We don’t have any freezers, just the walk-in cooler, so people know they are getting the freshest possible pizza,” said Kilen. “Papa Murphy’s has been voted the best pizza chain in America for the third year in a row by Zagat as well as many other national publications.”
He added, “By having a fresh, hot pizza come out of your own oven, it brings families together at home with food people love.”
Compared to other area pizza restaurants and chain stores, Kilen said, “We can keep our prices at a value to our customers because we don’t have to worry about the overhead of the ovens and delivery drivers. Instead we are able to concentrate on creating pizzas with only the best quality of ingredients at an affordable price for our customers.”
Papa Murphy’s is located at 13159 U.S. Hwy. 301 S. on the northwest corner of 301 and Big Bend Rd. Hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Visit www.papamurphys.com to view the menu. Call 672-2080 for orders or information.
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