Business focus: Pizza Rita opens outlet at Mary Lou’s
A growing Spokane-based pizza chain has made its debut in Spokane Valley.
Pizza Rita opened for business June 8 in a section of Mary Lou’s Homemade Ice Cream, another well-known area business.
It’s the teaming of two parlors as it brings together business owners and friends Brian and June Dickmann, and Ed and Kris Ritchie.
“We have a lot of fans in the Valley,” said Pizza Rita co-owner Brian Dickmann.
“We thought it would be a good combination – you know, two home-grown businesses,” he added.
The Valley store is one of two that opened last month. The other opened along 29th Avenue on Spokane’s South Hill and brings to six the number of Pizza Rita locations, including three street locations and spots at River Park Square’s food court and the STA Plaza.
Pizza Rita has been going strong in Spokane since opening on West Indiana Avenue in 1989 when Dickmann’s eldest daughter and company namesake was 2 years old. Dickmann had worked for national pizza chains throughout the Pacific Northwest before returning to Spokane to open Pizza Rita. He was 29 at the time.
Some 18 years later, with a company that is familiar to many and active as sponsors and participants in area festivals and events, Dickmann still boasts of Pizza Rita’s fresh ingredients, recipes refined over the years, free delivery, as well as quality customer service and guarantees.
His pizza chefs begin each day preparing and hand-rolling dough from the company’s own recipe. They also use the company’s own sauce recipe.
Eight of the company’s 50 employees work at the Spokane Valley location that is managed by Tami Carson, an employee for the past decade.
Typical meat and veggie pizza toppings are available and the chain’s menu “Favorites” include the Meat Madness, Laguna LaBomba, and Garden Delight style pizzas. Large favorites are $16.99; mediums are $11.99.
Pizza Rita at Mary Lou’s on Evergreen Road is available for dine-in, carry-out and delivery. For those unfamiliar, it’s the building donned in red-and-white stripes. Pizza Rita’s phone number is now obvious atop the roof.
Delivery area is from Argonne to Barker roads and from Wellesley to 38th avenues.
“We knew our pizza would be good,” Dickmann said when recalling their startup. “But we didn’t know the opportunities were going to arise downtown and in the Valley.
“We’re glad to be here,” he added of the new opening.