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Reminder Assistant Editor WILBRAHAM Boston Road is often thought of as the business hub in the town of Wilbraham. The grocery stores are there, the post office is there and the restaurants are there, as are the pizzerias. Wilbraham isn't just the Boston Road corridor, however. The town stretches out in every direction. Do residents from all reaches of the town have to travel all the way to Route 20 to get their pizza? Not anymore. Nikki and Shahriar Allahyari opened the doors to Wilbraham Pizzeria on Jan. 25 and have been having some trouble getting those doors to shut since. "We're the only pizzeria in the middle of town," Shahriar said. Located at 1 Crane Park, off of Main Street and near the Public Library, the location seemed perfect for Wilbraham Pizzeria. The owners of another pizzeria on the Springfield/East Longmeadow line, the Allahyaris decided to open another restaurant somewhere one was needed. "There's too much competition in that area," Shahriar said. "If we closed there, our customers would miss us but not the other businesses." "We needed to go to a place where we were needed," Nikki explained, "somewhere we could make a difference in a neighborhood." She told Reminder Publications the story of how she and her husband looked around Monson, Ludlow and other area towns, but couldn't find anywhere that seemed right. "They just didn't work out for us," she said. "Then, we were driving out here on a rainy Monday afternoon and came across this plaza in the middle of town. We made an appointment with the realtor to see it on Wednesday. Everything just fell into place." After renting the space from landlord Wendy Gibbs, who Nikki said was and is "very supportive," the couple worked with contractor Peter Sares to create their new business. About six months after the initial viewing of the property, the Allahyaris gained all their permits and approvals from the Board of Selectmen and the town and opened their doors. They received a letter of welcome from the Chamber of Commerce and a citation from Rep. Angelo Puppolo. "The whole town worked with us and we want to thank them," Nikki said. "We want to thank our neighbors and our customers for being patient with us." Since the grand opening a little over a week ago, business has been booming at Wilbraham Pizzeria. "We've been busy everyday," Nikki explained. "Unfortunately, we've had to turn down some orders because we don't want people waiting an hour or an hour and a half for their pizza. We're doing the best we can." How good is the pizza, though? Shahriar's friend Saeed Shirzadi in San Diego sometimes requests it from her friend in Wilbraham and he ships it to her overnight. John Goodrich, Rob Matthews, Katrina Emirzian and Jay Emirzian were enjoying a house specialty pizza -- fresh tomatoes, basil, chicken and mozzarella cheese -- as the Allahyaris talked about their business. "We came because it's new and we wanted to try it," Jay said. "It's good pizza," Matthews added. "Everything in the pizza is balanced. It has just the right amount of cheese and sauce and toppings." Nikki said the most popular items at the restaurant are the salads and gyros -- especially after customers discovered she was Greek. The specialty pizzas are also very popular. The Allahyaris made it clear they are family people, not a business-driven organization. Their daughter Eleftheria, a nursing student, works part-time at the pizzeria and they thanked friends and family in Longmeadow and Wilbraham for supporting them multiple times. A special thanks went to Roman Sheremet, the manager of the Springfield restaurant. "He's been extremely helpful," Shahriar said. With everything working out as quickly and as easily as it did, Nikki is convinced a higher power helped her and her husband establish this new pizzeria in the center of Wilbraham. "It was like a divine thing," she said. "We are so glad to be here. We do our best to please our customers." The Wilbraham Pizzeria offers a variety of dishes, from specialty pizzas to appetizers to grinders and wraps, from salads to chicken wings to soup, from full dinners to seafood to desserts. Pizzas and wraps are available on white or wheat. The restaurant is open Monday through Thursday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. To place an order, customers can call either 596-4600 or 596-2900. | ||||||
