North Stafford, Va. –– Thomas’ Pizza closed their doors in North Stafford last month, leaving some customers wondering where the restaurant next to the Goodwill store went.
Since 2006, Thomas Ramirez had been making authentic New York style pizza from his pizzeria at the Doc Stone shopping plaza.
But times got tough and fewer customers came through the door. So he locked them up for good Feb. 26.
“With the economy, everything took a turn for the worst. And even though we still had our loyal customers who would still come and see us it was not enough to keep the place open,” said Ramirez.
His rent at Doc Stone was $4,000 a month, $1,000 less than what he pays to rent the location he first opened in 2002 in Woodbridge, at Opitz Crossing shopping center on U.S. 1.
They’re still making pizza in the Woodbridge location, as well as pasta dishes and salads.
Ramirez says the secret to a great pizza is to create dough thin enough to be called New York style.
He also knows the secret to running a successful business is making enough dough to live off of.
