A historic Columbus pizzeria may be closing for good; here’s how you can help

Mr. T’s, a Columbus pizzeria that has served the city for over thirty years (in multiple stints), may be forced to shut its doors for good yet again.

“Mr. T’s will be closing the 1st of the year. Our hope is that it is temporary until we can get staffed up properly. Fingers crossed,” a statement posted to the Pizzeria’s Facebook page reads. “Our pizza shop has been family ran for decades but we are struggling to keep up.”

Mr. T’s pizza in Gahanna, which reopened in 2018 (nearby its original location), first closed in the early 2000s, after serving pies for nearly 30 years. The pizzeria is located at 207 W. Johnstown Rd.

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According to owner Jeff Armstrong, Mr. T’s should only need to find three additional employees, but they will be thoroughly vetted.

“At this point, we can find people coming in off the street to work, but we need special employees,” he said. “I work 60 hours a week, and need to hire someone who can work nights; we’re connected to a bar and trying to stay open as late as possible.”

Armstrong said he hopes to know before their temporary closure on Jan. 1 if the business will stay open.

He did cite several other options he will consider that may allow the pizzeria to remain open in the long term, including closing earlier in the day (they’re currently open until either midnight or 1 a.m. every day), or closing for one or more days per week, instead of remaining open every day.

The best way to apply if you’re interested in working for Mr. T’s, according to Armstrong, is stop by in person, or call the restaurant, as they don’t have a way to accept online applications.

If you like this, read: Longstanding mom-and-pop pizzeria will close for good this week

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