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Several of the Pizza Hut employees took time out for a picture during WingStreet training on Sunday, June 7. Front, l to r, are Hannah Jones, Katie Cramer, Karla Dyring, Iris McNurlan; (back) Leann Dossett, Assistant Manager; Karen Maxey, Manager; Phillip Coleman, Assistant Manager; Kayse Hays, Doug Edwards.
Casey Pizza Hut is Chamber of Commerce Business of the Month  Share
Honors for the Award-winning Casey Pizza Hut continue to roll in. Just a few weeks after winning an award on the national scene, the restaurant has now been recognized on the local scene by being selected as the Chamber of Commerce Business of the Month for June. The Pizza Hut is in the middle of celebrating its 30-year Anniversary after opening for business in February 1979. Bill King started out with the business in '79 as manager and remains with the franchise today as Area Supervisor. Karen Maxey came on board in 1985 and serves as manager. Business has been good as evidenced by the number of employees which has grown from 15 when the store first opened to 31 at the present time. ''We could even use more help,'' said Karen. Several of the employees have been around for years. Sandy King has worked at the restaurant since 1997, and Katie Middleton and Iris McNurlan have both been there since 2002. Many of the other employees are also long-standing but may have worked in the past, quit for various reasons and then came back at a later date.
The need for more room brought about three remodels. The first remodel added 15 feet to the back of the building. In 1985, the store was remodeled again, changing the decor.That update was followed by the third remodel in 2002 when a 15-foot addition was added to the width of the building. New restrooms and basically new plumbing were also added. Menus have changed considerably since those early days. ''We mainly sold pizza, spaghetti and cavatini,'' said Bill. ''We had salad and a few sandwiches. Today we have seven different pastas, six or seven different sandwiches in addition to all the pizzas and now the Wings menu, offering much more variety.'' With the expanded pasta line, many more pastas are sold today and cookies and soup have been added to the menu. Aside from their three remodels, Bill pointed out what he thought was the biggest innovation in the past 30 years--conveyor ovens. ''In the past, with the gas deck ovens, how your pizza was cooked depended on who was cooking and how busy we were,'' he said. ''Now the pizza is put in the oven on a conveyor belt and it comes out the other side when it's done. Food is consistent.'' A program that has been a part of their restaurant almost as long as the restaurant itself is the Reading Incentive Program, started nearly 25 years go. Children in grades K-6 are given reading goals set by their teachers. When they have met the goal, they win a Personal Pan Pizza. The Pizza Hut has also worked with the schools through the school lunch program. For nearly 10 years they have served pizza to the school cafeteria on a regular basis, at first once a week, and then every other week and this past year, they delivered pizza on Tuesdays every third week. Busiest times at the restaurant are during their lunch buffet on Tuesday night and Sunday noon. Diners can eat all they want off the salad and pizza bars, which includes dessert items like the new freshly baked cookies. Anyone who has been in the restaurant business will agree that scheduling and training are two of the more difficult things handled by managers and Karen said it is no different at the Pizza Hut. ''Making out the schedule and working around sports and college schedules is difficult,'' she said. ''And making sure employees are trained properly and doing the job properly.'' Over the past 30 years, Bill said they have always felt the Pizza Hut was a part of the community, ''Your Hometown Pizza Hut,'' as the commercial said a few years back. ''We try to stay involved by supporting school events and advertising,'' said Karen. Both agree they enjoy the people. ''You get to know the community,'' Bill said. ''You see a lot of regular customers.'' As Area Supervisor, Bill splits his time equally between stores in Casey, Marshall and Tuscola. Luke Sanders is the Marshall store manager, and Pam Masuga is the Tuscola manager. At the Casey restaurant, Karen is assisted by Phillip Coleman and Leann Dossett, asst. managers. She has three shift managers, Jacob Finney, Tiffany Slattery and Hannah Jones. The past 30 years have been good ones at the Casey Pizza Hut, and if the start of the 31st year is any indication, Casey residents can expect more of the same. Congratulations to the Chamber Business of the Month. Sharon Durham is a staff reporter for the Casey Reporter.
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