Downtown staple Pisanello's Pizza undergoes more than $100K expansion
After 44 years in downtown Mount Pleasant, Pisanello’s Pizza owner Jim Jacobs decided it was time for the business to get a facelift.
Pisanello’s, located at 110 N. Main St., has undergone a more than $100,000 renovation and merged with the other half of the building, also owned by Jacobs, in order to double the lobby size. Additionally, more bathrooms, better climate control and more accessible entrances and exits have been added.
“The dining area wasn’t big enough, and particularly our lunch buffet, which is very popular,” Jacobs said. “We were filling the place up, and even when it wasn’t full, it was cramped and hard to move around. I didn’t have very many tables to accommodate large parties.”
Now, Jacobs said, the restaurant can seat an entire sports team, as well as numerous parties of eight to 10 people. He estimates that the lobby has expanded by about 40 seats.
Jacobs said he had been toying with the idea of expanding the restaurant for quite some time, but finally took the plunge in early January.
“I’ve owned this building for a long time and thought about doing this, but put it off," he said. "It eventually became obvious that I needed to do it. I took over the space that I was renting next door and doubled the size of our dining area, the size of the buffet, and increased seating.”
While the inside looks completely different, Jacobs said customers can rest assured that menu items have remained the same, and encourages Central Michigan University students to try the pizza buffet, which is offered 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
