By KINSEY HISLE – COPY CHIEF
By SARAH CORNETT – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Since its opening in June of 2010, the Bluegrass Pizza and Pub (the Pizza Pub) has secured its place as a Danville and Centre favorite.
Only a few months after the Pizza Pub’s four year anniversary, owners Colin and Melissa Masters moved the restaurant to a larger space across the street. The location, formerly home to Club Carbon, allowed the couple to expand the restaurant’s seating capacity, kitchen size, and even create space for live entertainment.
The expanded kitchen gave the staff to ability to expand the menu offerings with an additional oven and deep frier. As part of the move, the Masters are looking for a new logo design to fill the open space over the main entrance.
To fulfill this need, the Pizza Pub owners are giving Centre students the ability to design and create the new logo. Students have total creative license on everything from logo design to lettering, as long as the sign includes the words “Bluegrass Pizza and Pub.”
Entries can be submitted at the restaurant through January 1. The winner of this competition will also receive a $100 gift certificate to the Pizza Pub, in addition to seeing the creative endeavor shining on Main Street.
The decision to place the logo in the hands of Centre students comes from the restaurant’s relationship with the college community.
With the majority of the Pizza Pub staff working as Centre students, the restaurant has the unique ability to cater itself to the needs of the student body.
First and foremost, the Pizza Pub prides itself on quick service, making it a possibility for Centre students to go out to eat during the week.
The restaurant also offers local discounts to Centre parents.
“Most parents know about us after Family Weekend and Homecoming, and after that they always come in,” Manager Laura Jack said.
The resturant offers discounts to encourage the low budget student to come in. There is discounted wine and pizza on Tuesday nights and discounted appetizers and beer on Wednesday nights.
“I particularly appreciate that the owners of [the Pizza Pub] make an effort to truly be a community establishment. We do not necessarily cater to students, but we know they will come because we do a good job of serving a high quality product. I believe that this impartiality is instrumental in the success of Bluegrass within the Danville community,” senior Scott Olsen, who works at the Pizza Pub said.
The Pizza and Pub also involves itself with different organizations on campus.
“They have done certain fundraiser events for Greek organizations. I know that for Sigma Chi they did an event where there was a cover charge at the door and all that money went to [Sigma Chi’s] philanthropy,” junior Phil Havira said. Havira started working at the Pizza Pub in early June of this year. “A lot of student athletes and their families also come after their games.”
“Something that makes the Pizza Pub special is its effort to be more than just a corollary to Centre’s campus. The demographic of our customers is more or less dominated by the local families of Danville—many of which inevitably have ties to the college,” Olsen said. “That being said, we also serve Centre students and faculty on a fairly regular basis.
Since its opening, the Pizza Pub moved to number one on Trip Advisor for restaurants in Danville. Jack credits this to the ongoing efforts of the staff to constantly improve.
“We are really trying to springboard off of the Trip Advisor rating and make sure people come in and see we are doing all new stuff,” Jack said. “This logo designing competition is just one step to make the restaurant even more of a success.”