Courtesy of Melo's Pizzeria
Courtesy of Melo's Pizzeria
Melo's Pizzeria, the garage-turned pizzeria at 2438 McNair in Benton Park, next door to Blues City Deli, recently changed its hours to operate solely during lunchtime, from 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
While a daytime-only pizzeria is a relatively uncommon model, co-owner Joey Valenza, son of Blues City Deli owner Vince Valenza, says the change was made with family in mind. The businesses share a small staff, including all five of Vince's children. In the past, the team would sometimes clock out from the deli's lunchtime rush and clock in for the evening rush at the pizzeria.
“We felt like we were sort of burning the candle at both ends,” says Joey Valenza. "It's just like a lot better lifestyle for all the employees. Everybody is happier now.”
Courtesy of Melo's Pizzeria
The change comes on the heels of a particularly busy time for the pizzeria. When Blues City Deli temporarily shut down during the pandemic, the focus increased on Melo’s, where the pies are cooked in both a deck and wood-fired oven, giving the pizza a signature caramelized crust. The pizzeria also serves freshly made lemon Italian ice. Over time, Melo's developed a following that stretched beyond the deli's customers, says Valenza, with some patrons unaware of the relationship between the two Benton Park establishments.
Now, by sharing the same hours for both restaurants, the owners hope to put more emphasis on the connection. Melo’s frozen pizza will soon be available to purchase at the deli, Valenza notes, and he's experimenting with a Sicilian-style pizza.
“We wanted to integrate the pizza with more of the deli hours,” says Valenza, "and marry the two a bit more."
Emma Keady is a freelance writer, multimedia journalist, and recent graduate of the University of Missouri–Columbia.
