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Area pizza-shop owners and customers anticipated big crowds and longer-than-normal wait times as Christians around the world started their annual Lenten practice of meatless Fridays.
“It’s more crowded than usual,” Linda Ciechoski said about her wait at Grotto Pizza in Edwardsville.
But Ciechoski’s friend of “many moons,” Ellie McGlynn, came early to get a table and order while Ciechoski ran some errands.
“It took a while for pizza,” said Ciechoski, of Wilkes-Barre.
But McGlynn, of Nanticoke, who was at the shop for lunch, said it’s worth the wait.
“I don’t have pizza that often” she said, “but I like this pizza.”
Heather Mitchneck, a Grotto manager, said customers should expect an hour wait for their pies on Fridays during Lent.
To reduce the wait, Mitchneck adds staff, but even that doesn’t completely eliminate the problem. The hour-long takeout and delivery times are about a half hour more than usual.
Sarah and William Ryder, of Larksville, were ready for the wait. They were going to the bar before more of their friends arrived.
“For us, it’s tradition,” Sarah said of the couple’s pizza habit.
Lindo Sabatini, of Sabatini’s Pizza in West Wyoming, said he’s used to busy Fridays this time of year.
“If anybody has a pizza shop that’s not exited for Lent, they don’t belong in the business,” he said.
‘Double whammy’
At Angelo’s Pizza in Wilkes-Barre, the wait times were over two hours long.
“It’s always busy Ash Wednesday and Fridays in Lent,” owner William Ricci Jr. said. “People call early, sometimes a day ahead.”
Ricci brought in a big gun for help, his grandfather, Angelo Ricci, who started the business.
The Hazle Street shop added coolers and started grating cheese early in preparation for the business spike.
“(Fresh, homemade) is what people want,” Ricci Jr. said.
Bill Saba, of Hanover Township, agreed.
“I’ve been coming here for 50 years,” Saba said, noting he remembers ordering pizzas off Angelo himself.
As he took home a large pie and four small specialty pies, Saba said he ordered early.
Down the road from Angelo’s at Pizza Bella, in Hanover Township, the store manager called it a “double whammy.”
Jennifer Griffiths said the first Friday of the month is always busy, but now that it’s Lent, the shop was telling customers to expect a 90-minute delivery time.
“We just get whacked,” Griffiths said.
Elizabeth Barillo was accompanied by her son, Eric, 4, as they went to pick up two large, extra-cheese pizzas from the shop. She’s in from Allentown visiting family in the township and said the discussion during the day was “how long is it going to take” to get a pizza. Though Eric said he was “hungry,” Barillo said the wait was expected.
“When they’re good, they’re good,” she said.
Of course, pizza isn’t the only thing on the menu for the season.
According to a press release from Long John Silver’s, the restaurant chain is expected to sell more than 30 million pieces of seafood during Lent.
Times Leader features reporter Matt Mattei contributed to this report.
