J-N-J Pizza to host Grand Opening this Thursday through Saturday

Coming home to a hungry crew, and don't feel like cooking? Not to worry, downtown Waukon's J-N-J Pizza can offer you a fun, relaxing alternative to slaving over a hot stove. Though their restaurant is new to the area, co-owners Josh and Nikki Pope and Jeff Walch are no strangers to food service.

Jeff, Nikki's father, has run the 2-Mit hamburger stand in Elkader for 25 years, while Nikki has worked in food service for schools and nursing homes. Josh worked in a pizza place during his high school years, and since that experience, it has been a dream of his to one day have his own pizza place. That dream has now materialized with the opening of J-N-J Pizza in Elkader and Waukon.

In April of 2004, the first J-N-J Pizza opened in Elkader. According to Josh, they looked at several locations for their second store. The suggestion to move to Waukon came from customers who were traveling to Elkader from Waukon for pizza. Pope says that he and his partners also visited with Waukon business owners, and decided that there was a need for what J-N-J Pizza offers. They opened the doors to the Waukon store March 1.

The menu of J-N-J consists of their own specialty pizzas, which they have created. They offer dine in or carry out service. Josh's favorite is the Wombo Combo, which consists of pepperoni, hot Italian sausage, bacon, mushrooms, and tomatoes. He also notes that their Buried Taco pizza is a popular item at the Waukon location.

In addition to pizza, J-N-J also offers appetizers such as chicken wings (mild or hot), bread sticks, homemade cheese bread, and chicken quesadillas, as well as taco salads.

They use the freshest ingredients on their pizzas, with dough made fresh everyday, as well as hand selecting their meats, some of which come straight from the meat locker. Pope also notes that they use a special blend of high-quality Italian cheese. "Everyone asks why our pizzas are so good, and I tell them it's because of the love we put in each pizza," Pope remarks with a smile.

Gift certificates are available, and they also offer birthday packages. There is also a game room located at the back of the restaurant. In the future, they hope to be able to open more locations, and they would like to expand their Waukon location to include a party room. There are a total of 18 individuals who work there.

Thursday, April 7 through Saturday, April 9 J-N-J will be holding their Grand Opening, with specials and give aways. They are located at 1 West Main Street, downtown Waukon, by the stoplights. Their hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 563-568-4800.