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Imagine
the surprise when our bank wanted to use us in their
advertising campaign!
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West
Palm Beach - When Phoebe Reckseit and Jennifer Morales decided
to leave the popular Pizza Etc. on Clematis Street to start
a rival restaurant half a block away, they already knew what
to call it.
Selecting
a name was as easy as pushing a pie into the oven.
"Everybody
called us the Pizza Girls," Reckseit said. "Our
customers really gave us that name. It's
perfect."
So
is the location. The 1000-square-foot restaurant, across from
Centennial Fountain and next to a high-end ice cream shop,
is twice as large as Pizza Etc. The partners will have inside
seating and air conditioning - something they could only wish
for at the other eatery.
Besides
their New York-style gourmet pizza, Reckseit and Morales also
will offer pasta dishes, salads, Italian ice and beer and
wine. The restaurant, which will have delivery and catering
services, is expected to open in about two weeks.
"We're
going to be cooking right up front by the window so people
can see as they walk by on the sidewalk," Morales said.
"The customers who know us are just waiting for us to
open."
Reckseit,
42, and Morales, 28, moved to West Palm Beach in 1996, about
eight months after Pizza Etc. opened on a reborn Clematis.
They helped manage the restaurant, which was owned by ReckseitÕs
stepsister, Patrice Gordon, and attorney Hal Winter.
Reckseit
and Morales said they tried to buy Pizza Etc. from Gordon
and Winter, but negotiations broke down this year. Last month,
Gordon and Winter completed a deal to sell the eatery to their
landlord, the Clematis Street Theater. Terms were not disclosed.
"This
has definitely put a strain on the family," Reckseit
said. Gordon and Winter could not be reached for comment.
Frank
Sugrue, who owns the theater with car dealer Bob Cuillo, said
Pizza Etc.Õs lease was expiring at the end of the year, and
they saw an opportunity to take over a successful business.
Sugrue concedes that Pizza Girls could hurt Pizza Etc.
"Anytime
you have two pizza shops in the same area, theyÕre going to
share business," he said. "But weÕre all free to
set up a business where we like. I wish them good luck."
Reckseit
and Morales said theyÕre grateful for what they learned at
Pizza Etc. and are excited about the opportunity to expand
across the street.
"We
learned everything from scratch over there," Reckseit
said. "We eat, sleep and breathe this product."
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