Longtime Springfield restaurateurs Chris Hanken and Vic Lanzotti are closing Public House 29 in Rochester and the remaining Pie’s the Limit location in Springfield, effective immediately.
Hanken confirmed the closings to SBJ but said he had no further comment. A statement posted on the Pie’s the Limit Facebook page July 24 cited “unprecedented hardships” faced by the hospitality industry including the COIVD lockdowns, capacity restrictions and increasing food and labor costs.
The duo opened Public House 29, 312 Sattley St., in 2014. While it also offered pizzas baked in a wood-fired oven, the concept was more casual than Lake Pointe Grill, which operated on Toronto Road for 14 years before closing last September. The business partners also previously operated Sebastian’s Hideout, an upscale restaurant in downtown Springfield, which closed several months after Public House 29 opened.
Hanken and Lanzotti launched Pie’s the Limit, a fast-causal pizza concept, in 2015 with a location in Parkway Pointe, followed by a second one at 1710 S. MacArthur Boulevard that opened the following year. Developer Corky Joyner tore down the former Ross Isaac’s restaurant and built a 3,200-square-foot pizzeria with an outdoor seating area.
Joyner told SBJ he had only recently learned of Pie’s the Limit’s closure and had no immediate plans for the property, other than to list it for sale or lease. The Parkway Pointe location never reopened following the state-mandated pandemic closures in spring 2020, with the owners citing staffing issues and a desire to consolidate overhead expenses into one location.
In January, Hanken and Lanzotti told SBJ they had signed a lease for the former Keefner’s space at 1941 W. Iles Ave. and had a new venture in the works. Plans call for Sapori Pizzeria and Italian Market to offer the duo’s signature wood-fired pizzas, along with artisan pizzas that showcase various regional styles. Although customers will have the option to dine-in, much of the focus will be on to-go orders and retail items that can be purchased for consumption at home.
While plans initially called for a spring opening, Hanken told SBJ that he is still not prepared to announce a firm opening date and that construction delays and supply chain issues have put the project months behind schedule.
