The Pizza Box draws crowds after opening in Utica

UTICA — The owner of one of Utica’s newest restaurants, The Pizza Box, says business has been brisk since opening.

Robert Butler formally opened the new pizzeria at 933 South St. on April 11 with a ribbon-cutting event with the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce.

He says business “has been great” since opening The Pizza Box to customers a few months earlier. Fridays during Lent were especially busy.

“We sell about 240 fish meals each Friday,” Butler told CNYBJ in an April 18 phone interview. 

In in addition to its headlining pizza — the restaurant says it’s “home of the 20-inch large pizza” — and fried fish, The Pizza Box also offers chicken wings, a variety of cold and hot subs, calzones, and entrees, according to its website.

Butler leases the building in which his business is located. Most of his business is take-out, but the eatery can accommodate about 20 people for dining in. Butler says he acquired his booths from Kirby’s, a family restaurant in Utica that closed.

Butler splits his time between The Pizza Box and a Utica car dealership that he owns. He declined to comment further about the auto business.

Butler says he financed The Pizza Box himself. “Having a pizza place was something I always wanted,” says Butler, who worked at a couple of them while growing up in Utica. After that, he got involved with cars. In addition to himself and his daughter, Butler employs five part-time workers.

Regarding the competition and the future, Butler says, “There are other pizza places around; I think there is enough business for all of us. If things continue to go well, I will consider opening another location.”

The Pizza Box’s regular operating hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. It’s closed on Mondays.