Thursday, March 28, 2024

Canyon Pizza: Late Night. Lunchtime. Anytime.

It’s 2:15 a.m. on a Friday night (well, Saturday morning) of a Penn State home football weekend. While most fans are sound asleep nestled snug in their beds, there’s another world—college kids who are up until the wee hours, lined up outside Canyon Pizza, 219 East Beaver Avenue, in Happy Valley.

They’ve got their crumpled-up dollar bills or debit cards at the ready. They are hungry, and they want a slice or two.

Canyon Pizza has been serving the masses since 2001—more than two decades of cheesy goodness. Matt Floravit, owner and operator, has been there since 2005.

And while Canyon Pizza caters to college students, it turns out that everyone loves late-night pizza.

“You’d be surprised. A lot of parents are worse than the kids are,” Floravit says with a laugh.

He explains that Canyon Pizza’s recipe for success is a relatively easy one: Good food and great prices go a long way. Stay open late and you are on your way.

Happy Valley used to be a haven for late-night eateries. Back in the day, you could choose among Ye Olde College Diner, Denny’s, and Eat ’n’ Park. Sadly, those places are gone. Other than 24-hour operations like Sheetz, Canyon Pizza is the only show in town.

“I think the college students really like the environment. We’re open late. We have pizza. It kind of goes hand in hand,” Floravit says. “And we do fun things like loud music and the tip gong.”

Ah yes, the tip gong. Those who tip the servers get to hear the gong. Simply throw a dollar in the jar and the gong gets a bang.

Of course, the students wouldn’t show up if the food wasn’t any good. Floravit prides himself on serving good pizza at a fast pace.

“I’ve been doing it for 15 years now, so I kinda have it figured out,” Floravit says. “There’s a lot more that goes into it than flinging pies, for sure. You’ve got to know when the rushes are going to come and be prepared for them. You have to have the right employees, too. That helps.”

The busiest time, of course, is after the bars close.

“Oh yeah, by far,” Floravit says.

By 2:15 a.m., the line for a slice snakes out the door and down Beaver Avenue. However, Canyon Pizza also draws a nice lunch and dinner crowd.

“Most nights, during the semester, are pretty busy too,” Floravit says.

What makes Canyon Pizza so tasty at any time of day?

“I shred my own cheese and mix different cheeses together to make a special blend. I get whole tomatoes and grind them up as opposed to getting a canned pizza sauce. We’ve upgraded the ingredients and the process that we use. It has gotten better over the years for sure,” Floravit says.

And while many think of Canyon Pizza as just pizza, it’s much more. Canyon Pizza has an entire menu. There are cheesy breadsticks, pepperoni rolls, calzones, strombolis, wings, and salads—just to name a few options.

“We do a bunch of stuff,” Floravit says.

Pizza is the No. 1 best seller. As for No. 2?

“Our pepperoni rolls are pretty popular,” Floravit says. “That’s one of the things that people come in and get a lot of.”

If you don’t stuff yourself with pizza and pepperoni rolls, there’s also dessert.

“People love our cinnamon sticks,” Floravit says.

He and the staff at Canyon Pizza are gearing up for a busy fall. Football season is the busiest time of the year, of course, but pizza is popular seven days a week.

“That’s by far the biggest magic trick—to come off of summertime. In the summer, you only need a skeleton crew. In the fall, you need to get everybody back. It’s definitely a challenge every year,” Floravit says.

Canyon Pizza isn’t just for the college crowd. Recently, Floravit says, the restaurant has gotten more involved in the community. It does fundraisers and has a pizza trailer.

“We just did the Bellefonte Children’s Fair this year. In the past, we’ve done fundraisers for the Rotary Club and things like that,” Floravit says. “We love doing things in the community.”

The best thing about Canyon Pizza, though, is the price. For years, it was simply a buck a slice. That changed recently.

“We had to raise it to a$1.50 when the kids came back last year. We were very hesitant at first, but with the pandemic and everything, we had to do that. But nobody even blinked,” Floravit says.

The best deal, though, is the $5 meal deal. For five bucks, you get two slices, a breadstick, and a drink.

“They love coming in, spending five dollars and having some food leftover,” Floravit says. “We are open late [2:30 a.m.], but we’ve been there until 4 a.m., telling people to go home.”

Check out Canyon Pizza’s full menu at canyonpizzapsu.com. T&G

Chris Morelli is a resident of Pleasant Gap and the news editor of The Express in Lock Haven.