You don’t have to go to New York if you’re craving some New York-style pizza.
The Big Slice, a locally owned pizzeria in Springfield at 1450 E. Sunshine St., has been open for about 2½ years. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week and delivers to all local college campuses.
Kassie Grant, the restaurant’s daytime manager, provided The Scoop all the details about the local eatery.
What made you decide to get into the pizza business?
For me, it’s a family business. I’m married to the owner’s (Levi Grant) brother, and when they were opening up the business, I started helping them get on their feet on the ground, and I just never left.
Did your husband and the owner have any previous experience with pizza, or was it just a dream they always had?
Levi had worked at the New York Pizzeria, and he just loves pizza; it’s basically all he eats. He’s had this dream for the past 10 or so years of owning his own pizzeria, so he just finally did it.
What makes this pizzeria different from other pizza places around town?
We serve it by the slice. You can come in and get a slice of pizza and have it made any way you want it. You can pretty much customize a piece of cheese pizza into your own masterpiece or just leave it as plain cheese. We also have a lot of specialty pies that no one else really has — like our most popular, the Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza.
What kind of environment does this restaurant have to offer?
Our customers kind of range from all age groups. We have a lot of regulars who come in just about every day, and there’s also a lot of college students who come in and that we deliver to. We also have a lot of families that come in. On Friday nights, we have a magician who comes in and does tricks for all the guests, and on Saturdays, it’s the perfect place to come after a soccer game.
And would you say that you like working here?
I honestly love working here. I never thought that at this age in my life I would be working in a pizzeria, but it has just been the best experience for me. I love the people I work with, I love our customers, and of course, I just love our pizza!
