New Pizza Biz Hopes To Draw Families, Fun

DAYTON - A new business in Dayton is offering up casual, family-style pizza to fill residents' tummies.

Time Out Pizza, at 134 East Main Street, opened very quietly on Oct. 27, said co-owner Phillip Sortomme. Sortomme, his wife Samantha and Smantha's father Eldon Wittig wanted to open up another family pizza store and thought Dayton was the perfect place.

"We like the town," Sortomme said. "And we noticed there' no (pizza) delivery around here."

Wittig has owned and operated pizza restaurants for about 35 years in Washington and Oregon.

For Sortomme, who worked in Wittig's Ephrata store for 2.5 years and ended up falling in love with Samantha, getting married and having twins, this is his first venture at striking out on his own, with his wife and father-in-law at his side of course.

Sortomme said the location right on Main Street was perfect. Some work had to be done to the building, mainly cosmetic things like re-finishing walls, new ceiling panels and cleaning gutters, to make it into a pizza joint. The work took about 1.5 months and the business was up and running.

Sortomme can't imagine a more enjoyable job. He said he worked about five other positions, but working at the Time Out Pizza in Ephrata was the job he most enjoyed.

"That has been the most fun job I've ever done," he said. "I like working with food."

So now, from 11 a.m. to at least 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, that is what Sortomme gets to do. He has four employees right now and a pretty extensive menu.

The menu boasts pizzas that are anything but traditional with Chicken Fajita, Cheeseburger and Chicken Alfrdeo pizza listed.

Customers can build their own pizza, and add side dished like breadsticks, salad bar and dessert pizza with cinnamon, brown sugar, butter and homemade icing.

Sortomme said the menu is similar to that in all of the pizza chains, but really offers unique varieties with special sauces and ingredients. His favorites are the Hawaiian and the Cheeseburger.

"It's so different," Sortomme said of the Cheeseburger pizza. "It really tastes like a cheeseburger."

As the business gets on its feet, Sortomme plans on adding delivery soon, as well as expanding the menu to include hamburgers, chicken strips, onion rings and barbecue wings.

The name of the restaurant, Time Out, will dictate the feel and the décor of the business, he said.

Right now there's modest Christmas trees and other holiday decorations, and as time goes on he'll add more sports memorabilia and jerseys.

"It's a fun, take a time out from the sport and lets have some pizza, kind of place," Sortomme said.

The costs are based on the ingredients and he said they try to keep the cost of food low to obtain loyal customers who will keep coming back.

And some customers have already "pledged their loyalty," he said with a laugh.

Since the restaurant's soft opening, they are already seeing peoples stop in, curious about the new business, and a few return customers.

"Most people were very grateful when we came in and we're excited about it," Sortomme said.

He encourages families to stop in for pizza after the game. He said there is no set closing time, and they may close as late as 12 or 1 a.m. if customers keep coming through the door.

Sortomme hopes to host a grand opening of his restaurant sometime in January.

In the future, the family may expand the business if it does well, but Sortomme's no. 1 goal is to offer what they want to on the menu and remain financially stable so they don't have to leave their new town.

"We'd like to stay here if it works out," he said. "Come in and try us."

Orders can be called in for pickup at 509-382-9999.