Visit River City Pizza and stay for a while

A longtime Otis Orchards takeout and delivery pizzeria has a new special: Sit-down dining.

After nearly 15 years in business, founders John and Bridgette Tiffany expanded River City Pizza by adding two partners and 2,000 square feet next to the existing kitchen near the corner of Harvard Road and Wellesley Avenue. The dining room opened Oct. 20.

“I’m really excited now,” says John Tiffany. “This is always what we wanted to do with it.”

Tiffany was 27 when he opened River City Pizza in his hometown community. For about a decade prior, he had worked for Domino’s Pizza where he gained valuable insight into the makings of pizza and its business.

New as well to River City Pizza are restaurant partners Jen Stout and Ryan Larsen, longtime friends of the Tiffanys who were contemplating business ownership of some kind when the expansion ideas came into play earlier this year.

The building extension included revamping interior walls and some cosmetic work to the site that previously was a video rental shop. The dine-in area offers seating for 78 people, five big-screen TVs, and an expanded menu with a salad bar, appetizers, and specialty beer and wine sales. They also offer a lunch buffet as well as 50 percent off second pizza prices for dine-in customers.

Already the partners are looking into locations to open a second River City Pizza somewhere in Spokane Valley.

Stout and Larsen say the partnership was a natural fit and personally gratifying to build on the existing successes of River City Pizza by creating the family-oriented restaurant for Otis Orchards and surrounding communities.

Pizza prices vary as much as the toppings from about $10 for the small cheese to about $20 for the 16-inch gourmet styles. Tiffany says they’ve built a reputation for creating gourmet pizzas before it was trendy.

Customers can find the menu, special offers and coupons online. The community is invited to the dining room grand opening Dec. 9, 10 and 11.