Orono House of Pizza (OHOP) has seen great success since the addition of its bar area at the end of August 2016. The pizza joint, formerly consisting of a small kitchen and seating area, has grown in popularity tremendously as word of the bar got out to returning college students.
“Business has been amazing since the bar got put in. It took a couple of months before the bar became popular, but it is packed pretty much every night of the week and weekend at some point in the evening,” Ryan Regis, a third-year business student, said.
“I’ve been a delivery driver for a year and a half. I also take phone orders, stretch dough, make sauce, shred cheese, sauce and cheese pizzas, do dishes and clean,” Regis added.
OHOP is located at 154 Park St., in Orono. It is open Monday through Wednesday 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., Thursday 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. They offer pick-up and delivery services during these hours.
Specials for OHOP include Monday night’s 2-for-1 pizza special, where you order one pizza at full price and get a second cheese pizza for free; Tuesday night’s $5 salads and Wednesday night’s $3.95 wraps. Bar specials include $5 rum buckets on Thursday nights and Trivia Nights on Sundays. The bar also does special deals for sports games, such as 5 for $10 buckets of beer during basketball games. On the weekends, $5 mimosas and free breakfast pizza are offered from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The bar features local performers including B Aull, Absolum and one of their very own pizza makers, Lee.
OHOP workers receive benefits such as breaks and food while they work, as well as 50 percent off pickup orders when they are not working. Most employees work two to three nights a week, with shifts lasting five to nine hours.
There are several bartenders on staff, with duties such as serving food and drinks and adhering to bar specials as well as intoxicated individuals. There are typically no problems. Bartenders have seen an increase in business since the end of August, as OHOP adds bar specials to its nightly routine. With activities such as kick-the-keg and weekly trivia nights, students from all over the area are in attendance each night. OHOP was recently added to Orono’s pub-crawl list.
OHOP was declared the first location of the pub-crawl on Friday, April 21. From there, students took shuttles to other bars in Orono, including Marsh Island Brewing Company, the Bear Brew and the Roost.
OHOP is open most of the year while the University of Maine is in session. They are closed for several weeks during the summer when the owner, Kostas, travels to Greece with his wife and family.
