Tomaso’s Pizza is getting a new Cedar Rapids location after nearly 30 years of business. The restaurant is moving less than two miles southeast in mid-March, from 3234 Center Point Road NE to 2706 First Ave SE. Co-owner Nick Carfrae and his wife, Holly Carfrae, knew the business would have to move when they purchased […]
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Tomaso’s Pizza is getting a new Cedar Rapids location after nearly 30 years of business.
The restaurant is moving less than two miles southeast in mid-March, from 3234 Center Point Road NE to 2706 First Ave SE.
Co-owner Nick Carfrae and his wife, Holly Carfrae, knew the business would have to move when they purchased the pizzeria from his father five years ago. The Center Point Road location opened in 1996 was the first brick and mortar location for Tomaso’s Pizza. Before that, Mr. Carfrae said his father ran the business out of local bars.
“I started working there in 1996 and it’s been the location that was our home since then, so this is kind of a big change for us,” he said.
Ms. Carfrae said she is ready for the challenge to create a new physical environment for the business without losing the Tomaso’s feeling customers are accustomed to.
“We take pride in our pizza, with quality ingredients and making the best possible pizza for customers and I think the environment we were pushed into creating is going to reflect the product they’re buying,” she said. “We’re excited about that part of it.”
Tomaso’s Pizza announced the Center Point Road location closed on March 12 via Instagram. The new location plans to open about a week later if the City of Cedar Rapids signs off on the renovated building. Mr. Carfrae is excited for the new location after nearly 11 months of renovations.
“We’ve had help from contractors, but the fact of the matter is that our goal for the building exceeded the financial rope so we knew a lot of the project was going to come out of our labor to make our dream come true,” he said. “It’s been a labor of love.”