Written by Juliana Colant, Photos by Hannah Campbell.
Pizza photo from Photo from: https://www.lloyds-pizzeria.com/.
Lloyd’s Pizzeria finds its home in Waverly, Ohio. The city has a population of over 4,100 people, according to the latest U.S. census figures. When a pizza craving hits, there are about eight pizza shops in town to choose from, from locally owned to large chains.
Cody Perkins, a senior at Ohio University studying engineering technology and management, has lived 10 minutes from Waverly his entire life. So, he’s taste-tested the many pizza options.
“Most people are kind of like, ‘You grew up eating one of them,’” Perkins says. “So that’s just where you go.”
Lloyd’s Pizzeria is laid back, with a counter to order and many tables and booths to sit at. It’s a great place to enjoy company, play some old-school arcade games or make new friends.
The restaurant opened in 2007, and Michelle Scott has been with the business since the beginning. In 2019, she became the owner, taking over for her boss, Lloyd, the pizzeria’s namesake. “He kind of treated me like a daughter,” Scott says.
She attributes his legacy to what makes the shop so special. “Everybody you know, knows Lloyd,” Scott says. “He was a big part of it. He still is a big part of the community, even though he’s retired.”
Lloyd’s connects with customers
That’s not the only thing for which people know Lloyd’s. Scott says connecting with customers and the many regulars is important to the pizzeria’s business model.
“Most of them are just the best people in the world,” Scott says. “They see me in the store and I’m like, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’”
Conversing with people she doesn’t know well didn’t always come easily for Scott. But that’s changed since becoming Lloyd’s owner.
“That kind of broke me out of that shell,” Scott says. “To be able to come have conversations with people I really don’t know that well … it kind of broke me out of that.”
Shyann May considers her role at Lloyd’s to be “a little bit of everything.” She’s worked in crew, delivery and as a manager since 2016. She says she recalls a recent interaction with a repeat customer who represents the pizzeria’s with its customer connection.
“She loves for us to sit down with her, her and her husband, and we join them to eat and they share their food with us,” says May. “It’s so cute, and they tell us their little stories. It’s just precious.”
A family affair
Lloyd’s team has eight employees. Two of the employees are Scott’s children. The rest are various family members or members who feel like family. To May, the family-like environment makes working at Lloyd’s rewarding.
“The employees are just amazing, and it’s like your own little family,” May says. “You just create a bond with everybody.”
Alongside running the business, Scott raises her 13-year-old son.
“My kids all work here, and my 13-year-old, he’s going to end up here, probably, if everything works out, and he’s excited for it,” says Scott. “And my grandkids are even … like, ‘I’m going to work there.’”
Scott’s passion for the business is evident to her grandchildren as well. Her 4-year-old grandchild visits the restaurant often. They excitedly sit in the drive-thru window, waving and chatting with customers.
Pizzas, subs and lasagna, oh my!
May and Scott say the most popular items customers order are mushroom and pepperoni pizzas, Italian subs, and salads. For Perkins, the pepperoni is a standout.
“They cooked it to where the pepperonis were crispy, which I really like,” Perkins says. “They’re also a little spicy, which is good.”
However, May’s suggestion is the lasagna. The secret? Scott makes it homemade and only once a week.
“Whenever she gets the chance, she’ll make it,” May says. “Some days, we’ll go the whole week without it because we sell out so fast.”
Perkins sums up his experience at Lloyd’s in one word: satisfying.
“Not only is the food good, but it’s also like good customer service and everything,” Perkins says. “You just walk away feeling satisfied.”