05/02/2026
Attention: Services and Operations could be Limited!!
This summer will be the 25th summer of Pizza Joe’s being open in Portersville. The world and Portersville have changed a lot in those 25 summers. This summer is looking to be a difficult one. I was told when I started this business, staffing would be the biggest problem. We have had some great employees over the years. I never would have dreamt it would be as bad as it is now. We have not had a delivery driver apply in years. We cannot compete with DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Instacart for drivers. The flexibility those jobs offer is not something we can match. These jobs also do not have insurance companies telling them who can or cannot deliver. Currently, I have myself and one other driver who delivers on Tuesday and Friday.
Looking ahead at commitments I have with my family, as well as employees' requests off for this summer. There will inevitably be days when I will have to limit services, hours, or be closed altogether People have felt compelled to tell me on Facebook, in gas stations, DG parking lots, and not-so-nice emails. That as the owner. The business and the customer, should be my top priority. I should not close for my convenience. Being closed on Sundays seems to be a focal point of this anger. For 20 years, the business came first. At the 20-year mark, I said I still wanted to own Pizza Joe’s, but it could no longer own me. I did well at living up to that statement, but in the last 18 months, the business has gradually taken back more control of my life. Since COVID, I have gone to more funerals than I have weddings. Not once have I heard at a funeral; I wish they would have worked more. My daughter has 2 more years of school, then she will head out into the world. I don’t want to look back at this time with my family and say, I wish we would have done more, but I couldn’t because I had to deliver pizza every weekend. I want to look back and say I cannot believe all the things we’ve done.
Until further notice, we will not offer delivery on Mondays.
Saturday delivery will be on a week-to-week basis. If I have appointments during the week or issues with one of my properties, delivery will not be available. There will be some weekends when I will not have the staff to be open. If you have an event or a party and want Pizza for it, please place your order in advance. If the order is large enough, I will try to find someone to come in and make the order, but not open the shop. If these decisions upset some of you, I am sorry you feel that way. I am not sorry about making these decisions. I have been told that, having this mindset, maybe I should no longer own Pizza Joe’s. Maybe that’s true. For my sanity, health, and my family, this is the way it must be. These things are hopefully temporary until I find a few drivers or figure out the next step. Thank you for your patience.
