By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — The pandemic turned many a business plan upside down. Now, two local pizzerias that made it through two difficult years are up for sale.

Moving on from iconic spot

One, Ignazio’s, is at 833 Post Road East. 

Last Wednesday afternoon, two of the three owners, Robert Oldziej and Daniel Soto, were baking pies in the wood-fired oven.

The business has another location in Brooklyn and, “We’re opening one up in Mystic right now, which requires our attention,” Oldziej said. 

The Westport location has been open about two and a half years, he said. 

Way back when the building housed the Clam Box, an iconic local eatery, and later a location of Bertucci’s, a Boston-area pizza chain that expanded rapidly and then contracted.

Ignazio’s for-sale listing asks $275,000 for the business; rent is $8,000 a month.

The dining space has inside seating for 60 and 30 parking spots. 

In addition to traditional thin-crust pizza and specialty pizza, the restaurant also offers Sicilian style as well as appetizers, wraps and salads.

Loyal customers, not enough help

Several miles east, the other local pizzeria up for sale is Golden Pizza, 1759 Post Road East. With a price of $85,000, its business listing states the shop has four employees and an annual revenue of $350,000.

And while there might be more than 20 restaurants in Westport that serve pizza, owner Kerim Yigit said his is the only one featuring Greek-style pan pizza. 

The storefront previously was a Jordan’s Pizza location. Jordan’s, which has two locations in Norwalk, also has pan pizza.

Yigit said he’s got plenty of regular customers, but employees are hard to find these days.

The pandemic also was difficult.

“I’m trying to open the seven days, open and close 12 hours,” he said. “The last seven months I started closing Mondays and taking day off.”

“The reason is just the employees,” he said. “Business keeps coming every single day.”

He said the location is good. It’s across Post Road East from Stop & Shop. The road is traveled by about 24,000 vehicles a day.

Whoever buys the restaurant will get everything from the furniture to the pizza ovens.

“Everything,” he said. “I’ve got a walk-in cooler, a bunch of equipment, and good will, and 300 customers that are the base.”

Golden Pizza also offers appetizers, salads, calzones, grinders, burgers, clubs, wraps, pasta and baked dishes.

Pizzas aplenty

There was a time when Westport had just a handful of pizzerias. 

Matthew Mandell, executive director of the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce, said that’s changed.

“A lot of places have the ovens that come alongside their regular fare,” he said. “There are easily some 20-odd places doing pizza,”

“Pizza is something that everyone loves,” he said. 

Mandell said the chamber held a successful Great Westport Pizza Contest in 2018, and plans to sponsor the event again in 2023.

Thane Grauel is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Westport Journal. Learn more about us here.