A Hampton couple is adding a pizza shop to their growing portfolio of businesses.
Ian McMillan and Matthew Dailey, both 32, are the new co-owners of Fox’s Pizza Den in O’Hara. They also own Premier Postal Plus in Buffalo Township and The Shipping Depot in Hampton.
They bought the franchise after the previous Fox’s owner franchisee, Pam Grandizio, closed the business in November after opening just a few months earlier.
McMillan initially thought a Facebook post advertising the O’Hara franchise sale was a scam.
“I reached out and it was legit. One of the kickers is the commercial kitchen is already here,” McMillan said.
A new opening date is scheduled for June 10, and a grand-opening celebration is planned.
Dailey grew up in Allegheny Township and graduated from Kiski Area High School.
He brings years of experience in the food industry to the table and said he is excited to get back into the restaurant business.
The pair said community reaction to the reopening news has been positive. The phone keeps ringing with customers wanting to order pizza, but the final steps of reopening, such as training with Fox’s corporate and getting final Allegheny County inspections, are in the works.
“We’ve both been in the service industry for 10 years, and Matthew has a background in graphic design,” McMillan said.
Choosing the Fox Chapel area for their next business seemed like a good fit.
“Fox’s is a Western Pa. staple, and we want to offer everyone a different option. We’re just excited to be in a bustling, community-oriented neighborhood. The Fox Chapel area really invests in the businesses in the area,” McMillan said.
Fox’s is famous for its Big Daddy Pizza ($19.99), boasting 21 slices.
Specialty Fox’s pizzas (from $10.99-$32.99) include the double-roni hot honey, bacon dill pickle, Philly cheese steak, sweet chili garlic chicken, Greek and pepperoni plus.
Other menu staples include stromboli ($9.99), fresh salads ($8.99-$12.99), wings ($9.99-$12.99), oven-baked sandwiches ($11.99) and pepperoni, pickle and piggy sticks ($10.99).
Delivery will be scheduled through the Fox’s app using DoorDash, Grubhub or Uber Eats.
Dine in and takeout also will be available.
The couple will participate in a real-time Fox’s pizza boot camp of sorts to hone the pizza shop operations.
“We’re learning the ropes of pizza. It’s a completely different animal, and this is a cool change of pace and a good application of our skills,” McMillan said.
Operating hours are tentatively set for 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
Dailey said for many folks in Western Pennsylvania, Fox’s brings back nostalgic pizza memories.
“The first Fox’s I was ever in was in Vandergrift, and it’s still there,” Dailey said. “This isn’t the Fox’s from the old days with wooden paneling.”
Fox’s Pizza Den is a national franchise that opened in 1971.
Fox’s Pizza Den
1153 Old Freeport Road, O’Hara
412-230-4141
foxspizza.com