Satchel's Pizza is a pizzeria in Gainesville, Florida. It was opened on March 7, 2003 by Satchel Raye.[1]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | Gainesville, Florida (2003) |
Key people | Satchel Raye, founder and owner |
Number of employees | 47 |
| Website | www |
Satchel's has become very well known in Gainesville, and can have wait times of over an hour on the weekends.[2] It is common for Gainesville residents to see bumper stickers from Satchel's when driving around town.[3]
History
editSatchel's Pizza was opened on March 7, 2003 by Satchel Raye, the founder and owner of the restaurant.
Raye decorated the restaurant with souvenirs that he had collected while traveling around the country after college. The van he used for travel is parked outside the restaurant and makes up part of the restaurant's outdoor seating.[4]
Restaurant fire
editOn February 28, 2012, the restaurant caught fire.[5] It reopened on June 14 of the same year.[6][7] During the downtime, Satchel Raye used Indiegogo to raise funds for its 47 employees. Nearly 700 people made contributions in a 16-day period, providing a total of $37,696 to the restaurant.[8]
Gift shop fire
editOn December 5, 2016, the restaurant's outdoor seating area and gift shop, known as Lightnin' Salvage, caught fire and was destroyed. The restaurant itself was unharmed and remained open.[9] In November 2017, Raye announced plans to reopen Lightnin' Salvage as a two-story building.[10]
The gift shop and live music venue reopened on December 5, 2017.[11] A grand reopening event was later held on June 1, 2018.[12][13]
Expansion
editIn 2018, a new outdoor playground was built by University of Florida architecture students.[12]
In February 2020, Raye announced that he would be opening a second location named Satch² in a downtown food park.[14] The new location was officially opened on July 20, 2020.[15] It was later sold off to a new owner and renamed SquareHouse Pizza in June 2023.[16]
In May 2022, the University of Florida's new food provider Chartwells proposed the creation of a Satchel's Pizza location on campus during their contract negotiations.[17]
Community involvement
editSatchel's Pizza has periodically organized fundraisers for local and national charities, including a $4,000 donation to Girls on the Run.[18]
References
edit- ^ "About — Satchel's Pizza". Satchel's Pizza. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
- ^ Herbert, Michael (November 17, 2009). "Satchel's owner passionate about pizza, art". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
- ^ "Satchel's, Get the Bumper Sticker". Smoking Fork. August 24, 2011. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
- ^ "Through fires and a pandemic, Satchel's Pizza approaches 20 years of serving up slices".
- ^ Swirko, Cindy (February 28, 2012). "Kitchen fire could close Satchel's for six weeks". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
- ^ Clark, Anthony (June 13, 2012). "4 months after a fire, Satchel's is back cooking". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
- ^ "Satchel's Pizza Sets Reopen Date". WCJB TV-20. June 1, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
- ^ "Satchel's Pizza Employee Relief Fund". Indiegogo. Archived from the original on April 23, 2012. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
- ^ Staff (December 6, 2016). "Roaring fire erupts at Satchel's, destroys outdoor seating, gift shop". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
- ^ "Satchel's Pizza's "Lightnin' Salvage" close to reopening".
- ^ "Satchel's Pizza Facebook post (December 6, 2017)".
- ^ a b "UF students design, build new playground at Satchel's Pizza".
- ^ "Lightnin Salvage Enterprises Grand Re-opening this weekend".
- ^ "Be there or be square: Satchel's Pizza to open second location".
- ^ "Satchel's Pizza opens second location today".
- ^ "Satch Squared gets new owner and new name".
- ^ "UF to hire new food provider".
- ^ "Satch² hosts long-awaited grand opening".