The original Pizza Shack was founded in 1985 on John and Claudia Simmons’ “crazy” idea of opening a pizza place with nothing more than a KitchenAid mixer, their son Michael Simmons said. Michael–who was 5 years old at the time–is now part-owner of the local chain, overseeing the original Willis location and the soon-to-be relocated Montgomery restaurant.

Pizza Shack serves Italian-American cuisine made from scratch, featuring items such as hand-tossed pizzas, hearty pastas, sandwiches and burgers. Pizza Shack’s high-quality, fresh ingredients and customer service has kept the business thriving for over two decades, Michael said. “Pizza Shack was like a home to me,” he said. “It did not feel any different for me [than my house], because everyone who worked there were like family.”