DDA Beautification Award Winner: Over the Edge Pizza and Sports Bar and Ollie’s Pizza and Grinders
Last October the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) announced that it was creating a Downtown Beautification Award in order to recognize Village of Manchester businesses, nonprofits, and churches whose property reflects their community pride “through upgrades to the physical appearance of their storefronts, enhancing the atmosphere and aesthetics of the village.”
The DDA recently announced they’ve awarded another business. In their announcement they stated,
In March, this great honor was awarded to Over the Edge Pizza and Sports Bar and Ollie’s Pizza and Grinders. The award is coincidentally received as Chris Moyle celebrates his 25th year of doing business this April in the Manchester community.
Chris began his operations 25 years ago just a few doors down from his current location. He had been in the pizza business for many years and decided he wanted to get out of the popular franchises and go out on his own. Chris was the manager of the Dominoes in Chelsea before he came to Manchester. His kids attended Chelsea schools, so he didn’t want to uproot the family to start his new business. Manchester being so close to Chelsea and not having a pizza delivery service in town seemed like the perfect opportunity.
When Chris began operations in Manchester, Tirb Chevrolet was a dealership in town, and Harr’s was a very popular destination restaurant. Chris quickly began renovating the original location to be a usable space for the restaurant industry, and he hired Tony Punches to be his first delivery driver. His 3 kids (Kari, Christopher and Kendra) have fond memories of dancing on the window display platform that sat just inside the front windows of the store, and there were even old theater seats in the eerie Michigan basement from when the building once housed a theater.
Ollie’s Pizza quickly became a local favorite for carry out and delivery pizza, and the business became involved in delivering pizza to the schools as well. The Ollie’s pizza tent has been seen at events such as the Manchester Fair, the River Folk Festival, and hometown sporting events (Go Dutch!). Chris has also been there to support the community in times of need such as when food deliveries couldn’t get to the schools due to winter weather. Chris has been known to drive in blizzard conditions from his home in Chelsea to fire up the pizza ovens and get pizzas to Manchester schools, so the kids had lunch.
Ollie’s Pizza has also been a place of employment for many Manchester residents. Some have been with Chris since the beginning. Some have moved on from Ollie’s Pizza and then come back again because working at Ollie’s is like coming home. There’s no doubt that you will see a familiar face almost every time you go in for sit down or carry out. Employee retention is a struggle for many companies right now and having long-term employees like Chris has is a true representation of his commitment to his industry and the community. Some hometown names that have been working for Chris on and off since high school include Ryan and Brandon Lentz, Ryan Taepke, Angila Jovanovic, Sarah Tzortzinis (Page) and many, many others. Between Over the Edge Sports Bar and Ollie’s Pizza, Chris employs about 40 people currently.
Chris had been looking for a building to call his own for several years and finally tackled the project that is now Over the Edge Pizza and Sports Bar. The building itself needed to have the foundation reinforced and at one point, part of the roof collapsed and needed emergency repairs. The building on the corner of M-52 and Main was quite the undertaking and was nearly re-built from floor to ceiling into a state-of-the-art riverside bar and eatery.
Chris and his employees are eagerly awaiting the completion of the board walk that will run along the river behind the restaurant. It’s going to be beautiful, and Chris anticipates a lot more activity through town as people enjoy walking along the river and around his newly remodeled building.
Ollie’s Pizza has been a Manchester staple for 25 years. Chris is appreciative of the honor and recognition he’s received for the beautification of such a visible part of downtown Manchester, and he looks forward to seeing the community’s continued growth and beauty for years to come.
Anyone in the local area can nominate a business, nonprofit, or church to win a beautification award. Nomination forms can be downloaded here: dda nomination form or at the Chamber of Commerce website at 48158.com. Hard copies also can be picked up at River Raisin Antiques at 138 E. Main Street. Forms should be mailed to P.O. Box 477, Manchester, Mi 48158, or dropped off at River Raisin Antiques. You may also email your nomination to riverraisinantiques@gmail.com
You must be logged in to post a comment Login