AYCE Pi Pizza

Enjoy some of Houston's best pizza at all-you-can-eat low price on Tuesday nights

Tuesdays are all-you-can-eat at Pi Pizza.

Photo by Julie Soefer

Everyone knows that Tuesdays are for tacos, but a new deal may have people lining up for pizza instead.

Pi Pizza, the food truck-turned-restaurant that's a collaboration between chef Anthony Calleo and Cherry Pie Hospitality (State Fare, Star Fish, etc), begins a new Tuesday night special this week: all-you-can-eat pizza and salad for $13.99. Served buffet style, the menu offers diners the chance to eat seven different pizzas — pepperoni, Who's the Mac (mac and cheese and bacon), Sorority Girl Surprise (chicken, roasted jalapeno, ranch, bacon), Lee's Pizza (pepperoni, sausage, jalapeno, Provel cheese), and the three "American classics" (Supreme, Meat 'Bro, and Veggie) — along with a garden salad topped with a creamy Italian vinaigrette dressing.

Considering a 12-inch pepperoni pizza costs $15, the promotion represents a pretty substantial savings for voracious eaters. Of course, it's only available for dine-in customers.

"It kind of started as a way to show customer and industry appreciation. We decided to try all you can eat," Cherry Pie partner Lee Ellis tells CultureMap. "We picked our top sellers. I think it's going to be kind of crazy, based on the social media response."

Sadly, the deal doesn't include some of the menu's wilder pizza options like the Sgt. Pepper Redux (goat cheese, blackberries) or the Outdoorsman (venison sausage, cherries), but Cherry Pie's increased buying power means every pizza on the menu is now $2 cheaper. Even the 8-inch lunch pizza has dropped to $8.

When it first opened last year, patrons packed Pi's dining room, but now 45 percent of its business is delivery, Ellis says. The new special gives people an incentive to reacquaint themselves with Pi's physical location where they'll hopefully put the money they're saving on food towards enjoying a cocktail or a beer.

No timeline has been put on when the special will end. "Discount pizza Tuesday" may not have the ring of "Taco Tuesday," but it could prove to be equally popular.

pizza news-you-can-eat

reboot rejected

Family friendly Houston restaurant shutters after less than 6 months

Photo by Quy Tran

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A Houston restaurant group has abruptly pulled the plug on its Garden Oaks location. Jax on the Tracks has closed, owner Gr8 Plate Hospitality announced.

Opened in February, Jax on the Tracks evolved out of The Union Kitchen, Gr8 Plate’s globally-inspired, full service restaurant that had operated in the neighborhood for almost 10 years. At the time, owner Paul Miller thought Garden Oaks diners would appreciate a more family friendly, affordable concept that centered around classic American fare such as burgers, pizzas, and fajitas. Unfortunately, it didn’t catch on quickly enough.

Gr8 Plate provided CultureMap with the following statement:

After careful consideration, Jax on the Tracks on Ella Boulevard has made the difficult decision to close its doors. While the concept was recently introduced to the neighborhood, many challenges ultimately led to the decision to discontinue operations at this location.

We are incredibly grateful to our guests, team members, and the Garden Oaks community for the warm welcome and support. There are currently no plans for another concept in the space.

In a separate conversation, Miller tells CultureMap that the switch from The Union Kitchen to Jax on the Tracks was too abrupt. It created confusion with regulars who missed dishes they’d been ordering for years.

“The people who had never been to the Union Kitchen loved it. They had a great time,” Miller says. “The people who had been to the Union Kitchen and had an expectation for that kind of food — our hummus, steak night, different cuts of fish — were blasting us.”

With revenues flat or declining, Miller says he made the difficult decision to close rather than using revenues from his other locations to keep Jax on the Tracks open in hopes its fortunes improved. Thankfully, the company’s other restaurants — including The Union Kitchen locations in Kingwood, Memorial, and Cypress; Jax Grill locations on Shepherd Dr. and in Bellaire; and Italian restaurant Passerella in Cypress — all remain open.

“It’s a hell of a lot more fun opening restaurants than closing restaurants. I can tell you that for damn sure,” Miller says.