BY LIZ WITBECK
Pizza Jerks now has a third location at 175
Canada St. in Lake George. The new venue opened
Fourth of July weekend.
It follows the success of the chain’s other two
locations, at 175 Broad St. in Glens Falls and 59
Iroquois St. in Lake George.
“Our other location was so busy and our
delivery times were getting too long,” said owner
Iggy Rovetto. “We were bursting at the seams.”
The Canada Street location is approximately
2,000 square feet. It can fit 39 guests in the dining
room.
A new feature at this location is a bar, which
offers a rotation of 10 craft beers. Diners can sit
at the bar and enjoy the sound system or sit in
the main dining area.
Since opening the third facility, business has
increased greatly at Pizza Jerks, the owner said.
“Business is up 25 percent,” said Rovetto. “We
do 75 to 100 deliveries a day.”
Rovetto has hired seven delivery drivers to
keep up with the pace.
Last summer at the Iroquois Street location,
Pizza Jerks served 30,000 pizzas and 43,000
slices, he said.
Aside from the pizza menu, one of the most
popular items at Pizza Jerks is the chicken wings,
which are oven-roasted instead of deep fried. Pizza
Jerks also plans to expand the menu with more
pub-style items such as quesadillas, meatball
sliders, and paninis.
Rovetto has been in the restaurant industry for
35 years. He went to culinary school and in 1988
opened the first Pizza Works with his brother. In
1996, the first Pizza Jerks in Killington, Vt., was
founded. In 2003, the Pizza Jerks in Lake George
was established.
Rovetto had previously operated under the Pizza Works business name and wanted to
continue doing so in Vermont. However, the name
was already in use when he went to establish
the business. He said a frequent customer once
called the employees “jerks” for getting his order
incorrect, hence the name Pizza Jerks.
There are currently several pizza shops owned
by the Rovetto family, including the Pizza Jerks
company, the Pizza Works company, and stores
in Vermont including Pizza Jerks, Pie-Casso and
Positive Pies.
Of the new Lake George location, he said, “I
want to give a place for the locals to go, to get away
from all the main street action” he said.
Pizza Jerks is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For
more information, call 668-4411 or visit www.pizzajerks.com.
Photo by Todd Bissonette Photography