Locally Owned Pizza Restaurant Comes to Chandler in February 2016
Seasoned Valley restaurant owner Charlie Harmon started his career in the food and beverage industry at the age of 16 and has spent decades honing his craft. It was a natural progression for this serial restaurateur to create a concept that focuses on unique, tasty, fresh and of course, “eklectic” pizza. Harmon and his team opened the first Eklectic Pie in Mesa at 1859 South Stapley Drive, Suite 106 in September of 2015.
The new concept in pizza has been so well received that Harmon proudly announces the early February opening of Eklectic Pie’s second location in Chandler at 2990 E. Germann Road. The ribbon cutting takes place on February 4 at 4:30 p.m., and February 15 through February 20, Eklectic Pie will celebrate its newest location with grand opening activities including:
- Tuesday, February 16:Grand Opening Day! Enjoy the Italian Street Fair theme décor while enjoying the dine-in special of the night — a 7-inch pizza, Caesar side salad and soft drink for just $8. The exclusive online special features an 11-inch pepperoni pizza for only $2.99!
- Wednesday, February 17: Benefit Night! First 20 customers win free pizza for a year (one pizza per month).
- Thursday, February 18: Beer Hosting Party! First 20 customers win free pizza for a year (one pizza per month); all guests receive a free beer glass with beer purchase (while supplies last), and can enjoy beer tasting from 5:00-8:00 p.m.
- Friday, February 19: Enjoy free beer glass with purchase and live entertainment from 5:00-8:00 p.m.
- Saturday, February 20:From 10:00-11:00 a.m., 20 lucky children can tour the store and receive a free 7-inch pepperoni pizza and enjoy face painting and balloon making from noon-4:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m., diners can enter the pizza eating contest; and live entertainment runs from 5:00-8:00 p.m.
- Daily Specials throughout Grand Opening week include a 7-inch pizza, Caesar side salad and soft drink for just $8 for dine-in only guests; the exclusive online special features an 11-inch pepperoni pizza for only $2.99! Diners can win an Apple iPad via raffle, enjoy free gifts for posting to Facebook, and sign up for Eklectic Pie’s loyalty program.
The concept behind Eklectic Pie was spawned in 2009 when Harmon’s family couldn’t agree on what pizza toppings they wanted during a Super Bowl game—the family decided everyone should throw their creation into the ring—and the original concept for Eklectic Pie was born, and Harmon opened his debut location in Mesa.
“As a family we started a conversation about the need for a pizza restaurant that offered a ton of personal choice, and pushed the boundaries past traditional red sauce pies,” said Harmon. Eklectic Pie offers nine exciting sauces on their menu including:
Marinara, Alfredo, Basil Pesto, BBQ, Buffalo, Chipotle, Jalapeno Cilantro Lime Cream, Chinese Spicy Chile and Olive Oil.
“You won’t find a heat lamp, microwave or freezer at Eklectic Pie,” said Harmon, “only the freshest ingredients and the highest quality food is on our menu.”
Many ingredients on Eklectic Pie’s menu are locally sourced including Queen Creek Olive Oil, meats from The Pork Shop, Venezia Bakery baked goods and China Mist Iced Teas. Eklectic Pie uses premium quality meats including all natural, 100% hormone-free chicken on their pizzas and in other recipes. All dough, sauces and dressings are made from scratch daily with no added preservatives. For their pizza dough, Eklectic Pie uses only all-natural and additive-free flour, imported from Italy; they use imported San Marzano organic tomatoes as well.
Each pizza at Eklectic Pie is priced at $5.49 for a seven inch or $7.99 for an 11-inch pie with endless topping combinations.
Pizza lovers can select a pie from the Eklectic Pie “Wall of Fame” including such creations like the “Sedona,” topped with chipotle sauce, mozzarella, cheddar, grilled chicken, jalapenos, black beans, corn, red onion, sour cream and guacamole or the “Wine Country,” which is loaded with Alfredo sauce, mozzarella, gorgonzola, caramelized onion, walnuts, spinach and finished with a balsamic fig vinaigrette. There are nine other “Wall of Fame” pizza options to choose from.
Eklectic Pie also offers a “make-your-own” pizza option with traditional or gluten free dough ($2 additional charge) and nine sauces, eight kinds of cheese, 10 meat varieties, 16 vegetable toppings, five kinds of fruit and nuts, and 13 “finishers” including items like spinach, sprouts, basil, cilantro and more.
“We think it’s important to offer more dietary or life-style choice products on our menu. Gluten free crusts are made in our kitchens daily. We offer toppings such as non-dairy cheese and tofu as a non-meat choice and organic vegetables where and when possible. That obsession with variety and quality is what we believe is the ‘Eklectic’ difference,” says Eklectic Pie president Jay Johnson.
Eklectic Pie’s menu does not stop at pizza—they offer Salads ($7.29 each), Kid’s Meals, Boylan’s all-natural pure cane sugar soft drinks, China Mist Iced Tea, Arizona craft beer and wine, plus a mouthwatering baked cookie dessert, S’mores Pie or the Fruity Pietuitti.
“The options are nearly endless,” said Harmon. “There is something for every taste bud ranging from classic to very unique.”
Eklectic Pie pizzas are cooking using the latest oven technology creating a perfect crust in three minutes. Additionally, they have a special online ordering system in place for busy pizza fans on the go available at Eklectic Pie. Their customer loyalty program offers rewards for repeat purchases and more.
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