MasonBuzz.com

Marion’s Piazza manager John Davis knew the restaurant would be a hit when he opened the doors for lunch and was greeted by a party of 30 hungry guests.

The Dayton-based chain celebrated the grand opening of its newest restaurant — its ninth overall — Tuesday at the corner of Tylersville and Snider roads in Mason.

The Mason opening marks the company’s first Greater Cincinnati location.

“We were real busy,” said Davis of the lunch crowd.  “Everybody said, ‘We can’t wait until you get here.’”

• Photos: Marion’s Piazza opens in Mason

The 11,000-square-foot Mason location employs about 50 people and seats 520, including 70 in an outdoor patio and 100 in a private banquet room. Carry out service is also offered.

Marion’s is one of the first developments to break ground on the 9-acre site owned by Everybody’s Farm Inc. A dermatologist office is slated for another lot, according to Jeff Eichhom of Henkle, Schueler & Associates, whose sister company, Bunnell Hill Development Co. Inc., is the project’s developer.

The chain’s success lies in its pizza, known as Dayton-style pizza, said Roger Glass, company president. The crust is thin and pies are cut in bite-size squares instead of slices, he said.

Eighty-five percent of the company’s sales are pizza; other fare includes salads, sandwiches, lasagna and spaghetti.

“We must be doing something right. We keep setting records for business every year,” said Glass. “If you come to Marion’s, you’ve got to be hungry for pizza.”

Mason proved an attractive area for expansion because it is a populous area with a solid base of industry and other development, said Glass.  Mason is also close to the company’s Dayton-based commissary, which ships out fresh dough daily.

Linda Bonnell of Loveland got hooked on Marion’s in the 1990s after her child’s basketball team played in the area.  She was at the restaurant on opening day for dinner.

“We couldn’t wait until this one opened,” she said.  “The pizza is wonderful, absolutely the best.

Restaurant hours are 10:30 a.m. -11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 10:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Marion’s is at 6176 Soundwave Blvd. and can be reached at 513-398-9998.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: business, dayton, everybody's farm, expansion, marion's piazza, mason, opening, pizza, restaurant, roger glass

Dayton chain Marion’s Piazza will open its ninth location and first Cincinnati area location in Mason this November. The Mason location will have the same look and design as its Troy location, which opened earlier this year. Photo provided

Cincinnati-area fans of Marion’s Piazza soon won’t have far to travel to enjoy the Dayton pizza staple.

Marion’s is set to open its latest restaurant — it’s ninth overall– in mid-November at the corner of Tylersville and Snider roads in Mason, said Roger Glass, company president. The Mason opening marks the company’s first Greater Cincinnati location.

Customer demand prompted the expansion, Glass said. The 47-year-old chain opened another location – its first expansion in two decades – in Troy earlier this year.

Troy and Mason are attractive for expansion because both cities are populous areas with a solid base of industry and other development, he said. In addition, the two cities are close to the company’s Dayton-based commissary, Glass said.

“We have fresh dough shipped out every day,’’ he said. “Everything will be fresh daily.”

The 11,000-square-foot Mason location will employ about 50 people and seat about 520, including 70 in an outdoor patio and 100 in a private banquet room. Carry out service will be offered.

Marion’s is one of the first developments to break ground on the 9-acre site owned by Everybody’s Farm Inc. A dermatologist office is slated for another lot, according to Jeff Eichhom of Henkle, Schueler & Associates, whose sister company, Bunnell Hill Development Co. Inc., is the project’s developer.

Interior shot of Marion’s Piazza’s Troy location. Photo provided

Glass says the chain’s success lies in its pizza, known as Dayton-style pizza. The crust is thin and pies are cut in bite-size squares instead of slices, he said.

Eighty-five percent of the company’s sales are pizza; other fare includes salads, sandwiches, lasagna and spaghetti.

“We must be doing something right. We keep setting records for business every year,” said Glass. “If you come to Marion’s, you’ve got to be hungry for pizza.”

Marion’s, which employs 275 in the Dayton area and sells more than 1 million pizzas a year, has no plans to open additional locations in Greater Cincinnati area, Glass said.

“Probably what I will do is relax for a couple of months after opening Mason,” he said with a laugh.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: business, dayton, everybody's farm, expansion, marion's piazza, mason, opening, pizza, restaurant, roger glass

Patty Stump and Mike Shroder at Westshore Pizza, the Mason restaurant they opened in July. The couple are both breast cancer survivors. The Enquirer/Rachel Richardson

The marriage vow “in sickness and in health” is something Mike Shroder and Patty Stump know all too well.

Five years ago, the couple were stunned when Shroder, then 67, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Then, lightning struck twice.  Nearly a year later to the day, Stump, now 55, learned she had breast cancer, too.

“I was completely floored,” said Stump.  “I took it much harder than he did.”

“She called me and said, ‘it’s my turn,’” said Shroder.  “I was a whole lot more worried about her than I was myself.”

The Mason couple will celebrate 25 years of marriage next March.  But, more importantly, they are celebrating both being free of breast cancer.

It was during a vacation to Florida while applying sunscreen that Stump noticed a bump on Shroder’s breast.  Shroder chalked it up to an infected hair, but followed up with his doctor several weeks later, who ordered more tests.

Biopsy results confirmed it.  He had cancer.  Three weeks later, he underwent a total mastectomy.

“It was a little different to say the least,” said Shroder with a laugh.  “It was so well-oiled from step to step you didn’t have time to analyze it or think about it too much.  We had the surgery one day and I went to work the next afternoon.”

Shroder was lucky, his doctors say.  His cancer was caught early and he’s now in remission.

“Many people just aren’t aware that men can get breast cancer,” said Stump.  “It makes you wonder how many times men start with breast cancer and it metastasizes into other cancer.  Early detection is such a big part of the treatment.”

Stump should know.  She credits early detection as a key role in her recovery, too.

Doctors had found benign calcium deposits in her breasts before.  And she had no family history of breast cancer.

But her husband’s recent diagnosis made her suspicious and after discovering a new lump, she went to her doctor.  Diagnosis: breast cancer.

Stump underwent a lumpectomy and 5 weeks of radiation.  The couple coped just as they had for more than 20 years.  Together.

“It was such a great support system,” said Stump, who’s now in remission.  “If you’re going to do it, you might as well do it with your loved one.  It’s kind of crazy, but you have someone who’s already been there and done it.”

“You look the devil in the eye and come out of it,” said Shroder.  “It would be pretty hard to go through this and not be closer.”

Together, they’ve vowed to raise awareness about checking for breast cancer — even if you are a man.

Although women are 100 times more likely to face a breast cancer diagnosis, more than 2,000 men — 1 percent of all breast cancer cases — will develop breast cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Patty Stump and Mike Shroder at work in Westshore Pizza. The couple opened the pizzeria in July. The Enquirer/Rachel Richardson

Two years after his surgery, Shroder got a tattoo of a pink ribbon with the words “Cure” above it on his mastectomy site.

He can be seen about town in a van bearing a breast cancer awareness license plate that reads “IHADIT.”

The couple regularly take part in breast cancer awareness events and hold fundraisers at Westshore Pizza, the restaurant they opened in July at 6176 Tylersville Road in Mason

• Westshore Pizza opens in Mason

A fundraiser on Monday raised more than $300 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Another fundraiser is set for Friday, Oct. 7 as part of Slice of Hope’s National Pizza Party Day.

The couple will donate 10 percent of sales that day to the Karen Mullen Breast Cancer Foundation, a national charity based in Seattle.

“I really want guys to know that they can be diagnosed with it,” said Shroder.  “I figure maybe one guy will remember that when something comes up and he wont hesitate to have it looked at.”

(more…)

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Tags: Tags: breast cancer, diagnosis, east coast style pizza, fundraiser, health, Karen Mullen Breast Cancer Foundation, mason, mastectomy, men, mike shroder, patty stump, pizza, pizzeria, slice of hope, susan g. komen foundation, westshore pizza