TJ鈥檚 Pizza in Yorkton aims to create great pizza at a reasonable price.聽聽
Newly opened last summer, the restaurant features pizza dough made fresh daily topped with tomatoes and its own secret pizza spice.
鈥淥ur pizza has a fresh and unique flavour unlike anyone else鈥檚,鈥� says Dave Nielsen, owner of .
Nielsen isn鈥檛 a restaurateur by trade. He previously worked as a gas plant operator in the Alberta oilpatch for Husky Energy in Edson. After getting married, he was tired of commuting back and forth between work and home in Regina Beach where his wife was from.
鈥淵ou only live once and you have to make the best of it,鈥� Neilsen says. 鈥淚 got married so I could be with my wife. So I started looking around for a career change.鈥�
Nielsen has friends who had opened their own TJ鈥檚 Pizza franchise and after weighing his options, he decided to take the same plunge. He and his wife resettled in Yorkton.
鈥淚t seems like the right place to be,鈥� Nielsen says.
So far, the response to the new restaurant has been positive.
鈥淭he people that are coming in are great,鈥� Nielsen says. 鈥淲e have a number of repeat customers and it鈥檚 wonderful to have them coming back.鈥�
Recently, Nielsen connected with the Yorkton Adult Independent Living (YAIL) Harbor group home for people with special needs.Nielsen opened up the doors to TJ鈥檚 during the restaurant鈥檚 quiet time and took participants on a tour of the commercial kitchen, explained the pizza-making process and let them all have a shot at making their own. He donated the supplies that the group used during their tour.
鈥淚t was a good experience for me and for them,鈥� Nielsen says. 鈥淢y hope is that it鈥檚 an ongoing partnership.鈥�
TJ鈥檚 Pizza is located at 249a Hamilton Road. To see their menu or order online, visit their website at .
