The Brick Oven claimed the top spot in the Coast 360 Upper Crust Pizza Bracket, beating out 15 other local pizzas along the way.
Seen here, owner Jayme Bartshe (front, middle) and her staff show off their winner’s sign. Look for it on your next visit to enjoy their great menu.
THE BRACKET
We recently set out to see which local pizza was tops in the opinion of our social media fans. And the votes came pouring in, as the group of 16 narrowed to eight, then four, then two, and finally just one remaining – The Brick Oven with their most popular pizza, The Big B.
“It was really great to see the support The Brick Oven received from their fans,” said Laura McGill, Coast 360’s editor. “With each round, they just kept gaining momentum and the final round was a landslide win for them.”
THE WINNING PIZZA AND MORE
It is no wonder that fans of The Brick Oven and their wood-fired pizzas love The Big B. You get the supreme treatment with plum tomato sauce stacked high with freshly shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian sausage, green and yellow bell peppers, black olives and red onions.
Although when we stopped by to celebrate their win, we did try the Up In Smoke pizza and The Big B has some serious competition just down the menu. This roasted red pepper garlic cream sauce-based pizza is topped with freshly shredded mozzarella, fire-roasted red peppers, Italian sausage, yellow and green bell peppers and red onions. The cream sauce is a great option for those of us who can be tummy challenged by a tomato sauce.
Another menu option that caught our attention was the Lava Bread. According to Jayme, this appetizer came to be while the restaurant was struggling during Covid. “We had lots of time on our hands so we just started experimenting with new recipes,” she said. The result: cheesy garlic bread made with hot sauce and pepperoni, served with a side of their homemade ranch.
And speaking of that ranch dressing, seriously folks, we tried to find out the secret to the recipe, but Jayme wasn’t budging. We did find out that if you ask nicely, they’ll sell you a few extra servings to take home.
A STORY OF SURVIVAL
The saying may be “three strikes and you’re out,” but Jayme, her husband Mike and their entire staff are more of a testament that three strikes can just make your stronger.
When Jayme took ownership in the fall of 2019, no one could have predicted the impact of the Covid pandemic. Within months of taking the helm, Jayme and her team were faced with a global health crisis that hit every local business.
With a Covid game plan in place, the business was getting some momentum. Then in September of 2020, Hurricane Sally blew into town. When Jayme and Mike were able to check on the restaurant, they found a tree had fallen on the building, the power was out, and their perishable food inventory was lost.
At that point, Jayme said she felt like giving up. When they were onsite inspecting the damage, some loyal customers pulled up and asked if they were open for business. Jayme, through her tears, said that she didn’t know if they would be able to reopen.
That’s when her customers rallied. Together they got the tree removed and were happy to find no structural damage. When the power was restored, they reopened with a limited menu. Their loyal customers were there to support them.
On the heels of their hurricane recovery, Jayme and Mike were faced with staffing shortages like so many other local businesses. She struggled to keep enough people to run the restaurant. Everyone pitched in. The dedicated employees stayed and the sense of family with the staff grew deeper.
This message of being stronger together is one that Jayme and her team take to heart. The Brick Oven has a philosophy of putting good out into the community. That happens through pizza donations to local schools and even helping out competitor restaurants if they need to borrow a bag of flour.
CHECK THEM OUT
You can find The Brick Oven in Foley at 21040 Miflin Road, near OWA. They are open Tuesday – Thursday 11AM to 8PM; Friday and Saturday 11AM to 9PM. See their menu online at brickovenfoley.com or give them a call at 251-955-1233.
Coast 360 tip – check them out for lunch Tuesday through Friday where $12.99 will send you back to work or play full and happy.