HARTFORD — Twenty plus years of operation is no small feat in the restaurant business, but Luna Pizza in West Hartford has found the perfect recipe for success.
The family run pizza restaurant started in 1989 on Franklin Ave in Hartford’s “Little Italy.” Current owner Alex MacDonald discovered his passion for pizza at an early age from his uncle, who owned the businesses at the time. Also working in the restaurant alongside his mother, sister and future wife, Alex learned the importance of hard work, and his uncle’s great pizza recipe. He took over the restaurant after his uncle moved the business to West Hartford in 1997.
Currently Luna Pizza is in the process of renovating their kitchen, which will allow them to expand their menu beyond pizza and sandwiches, and offer more entrees, salads and appetizers. The restaurant prides itself in using as many locally sourced, fresh ingredients as possible, including grinder bread from the Hartford Baking Company, gluten free pizza crust from Still Riding out of West Hartford, and beer from local craft breweries, including Hanging Hills in Hartford.
But in addition to the fresh ingredients and great food, it is the strong relationships that has established the restaurant as a neighborhood favorite.
“For us, the restaurant business is all about relationships,” says Stephanie Sullivan of Luna Pizza.
“We have relationships with customers that literally span 25 years – people who knew Alex when he was just a teenager working in his uncle’s restaurant. We have so many regulars we know by name, who are so good to our family and we truly feel connected to theirs. They gave us gifts when our kids were born, sent cards when we got married, the list goes on. The relationships we have with our employees are also really valuable to us. The restaurant business is notorious for high turnover, but we pride ourselves on having employees working with us for five, ten, even fifteen years. We build our business and our brand as a family, and we think that’s what makes us special.”
Luna Pizza is located at 999 Farmington Ave, in West Hartford.
