Boston Pizza
returning to Kaneohe
and growing elsewhere

CORRECTION Tuesday, July 19, 2005 » Aloha Pizza, a concession operated by Boston's North End Pizza, is expected to open this week at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. "TheBuzz" column on Page C1 Wednesday misstated the concession site as the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.

"It's in back of Zippy's," said co-owner Tom Rossi.

When will the eat-it-and-beat-it pizza and calzone shop open?

"I would like to say Sept. 1st, hopefully," Rossi said.

Boston's closed its Kaneohe store months ago to make way for a car dealership, forcing Windward folk to trek to the flagship store in Kailua, or worse, go without the notorious 3-pound pies that don't fit in the boxes.

Since then, the Kaneohe store's pizza makers were transferred to the Kaimuki store, but they'll be returning once the new Windward location opens.

More immediately, a Boston's spinoff, called Aloha Pizza, is to open at the Arizona Memorial Visitor Center on Monday as part of an expanded concession operation that also includes an eatery to be called All-American Burger.

"There used to only be hotdogs and snack machines," so the new choices "were a long time coming," Rossi said.

Plans call for construction of a 30,000-square-foot building. Aloha Pizza has a two-year lease with an option on the new setup.

You mean, the name Aloha Pizza wasn't taken?

"I know, isn't that something?" Rossi remarked.

He is also close to having leases signed for property in Mililani and Waimanalo. The company is waiting for the necessary permitting to go into a space at Monsarrat and Campbell avenues.

A national pizza chain raised Rossi's eyebrows a few years ago when it introduced a spinach and garlic pizza, like the one his restaurants serve.

His inspiration for the pizza came from his grandmother, who would sneak the ravenous lad a bit of the spinach and garlic she'd been cooking, rather than making him wait for dinner to be ready.

He wasn't clear where the national chain got its inspiration, but he was fairly certain his grandmother had not shared her recipe outside the family.