East Side Pizzeria Continues Under New Owners

Site of Lisa’s Pizza, 2961 N. Oakland Ave. Photo taken March 27, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.

Lisa’s Pizza, which has been in business since 1964, is now operating under new owners. After decades at the helm of the East Side restaurant, 2961 N. Oakland Ave., Gary Bongiorno, his wife, Teresa, and brother, Scott, turned the business over to Hannah O’Hara and Dean Rein at the end of January.

O’Hara has long felt a pull to serve pizzas, though her earliest plans were more waterlogged than wood-fired. While feeling unhappy at her previous job, O’Hara said she dreamed of launching a pizza boat — a concept inspired by days spent at her hometown swimming hole, Lauderdale Lakes, where a novel hot dog boat would service visitors on the water.

O’Hara decided to pursue the idea with help from her business partner, Dean Rein. “I was like, ‘I want a pizza boat,'” she said. “How cool would it be to serve pizzas out on the lake?”

The pair got as far as finding a boat and were preparing to kick off the project earlier this winter when they decided to take a tour of Lisa’s Pizza, which was for sale.

O’Hara’s first impression? “That’s a lot bigger than a boat.” But after a few days of working alongside the Bongiornos, learning recipes and absorbing the owners’ knowledge of restaurant ownership, she and Rein warmed up to the idea of taking over.

“We talked about it and decided we were going to move forward,” she said. “So we made the 60-page business plan, got approved by the bank and then, somehow, somebody handed us the keys. And now we own it.”

O’Hara and Rein closed on the East Side property on Jan. 31 and held their first service as owners on Feb. 7. In the interim, they completed a deep clean of the space, implemented a Point of Sale (POS) system and made other tweaks to the restaurant.

It took the duo a few days to hit their stride, but as of last week, things were going “relatively smooth,” O’Hara said, noting that she and Rein are “making small changes” every day.

The pair are also serving homemade desserts and have introduced Detroit-style pizzas in addition to the restaurant’s signature thin-crust pies. The new pizzas have a thicker crust but take up less room in the oven, allowing for more efficient baking.

Along with the menu updates, the owners have upped the restaurant’s delivery fee to $5 in order to insure their drivers. O’Hara said she’s received pushback on the price, but feels the insurance is a non-negotiable. “We need to make sure that our drivers are safe.”

The Bongiornos plan to remain with the restaurant for several months to ensure the transition continues smoothly.

“We’re still learning a lot, but it’s been fun,” O’Hara said, noting that both she and Rein have backgrounds in continuous improvement — an ideal skill set for fine-tuning the longstanding and well-regarded restaurant.

For now, Lisa’s is only serving pizzas, appetizers and desserts. But O’Hara said she’s aiming to reintroduce dinner favorites such as lasagna in the future. “Right now we’re just easing into it.”

And though the new owners are thrilled with their new roles as restaurateurs, O’Hara said that the emphasis has always been — and will continue to be — on customer satisfaction.

“I think a lot of people just assume that it was our lifelong dream to be pizza parlor owners,” she said, “It was more that we wanted to do something where we can make people happy.”

And they have. Since opening under new ownership, the restaurant has been flooded with positive reviews. As they adjust to the new venture, O’Hara and Reid are checking in with customers and planning further improvements to the business.

The new owners are now posting regularly on Instagram and plan to launch online ordering in the coming weeks. The restaurant is also looking into collaborations with fellow small businesses in the area and laying plans for upgrades to the dining room, though O’Hara said that’s still a way off. For now, the focus is on renovating an upstairs living space, where O’Hara will move in.

“My heart is fully going to be here, it’s my old ball and chain, she joked. “I just want people to know that we’re serious. And we care. We’re very excited to be part of the community.”