Rockers Pizzeria had a busy first week in Vergennes. Owners Arielle Liu and Jon Zimmers had prepped enough dough to make 100 pizzas for their opening day on Monday, November 16. They sold out in an hour and a half.
“We didn’t expect that at all,” Zimmers told Seven Days. “It was like the whole town was calling.”
The couple met at Manhattan Pizza & Pub in Burlington 11 years ago and has lived in Ferrisburgh for six years, both commuting to jobs in the Burlington area — Liu as a pizza cook and Zimmers as a mechanic. They considered the idea of opening a restaurant in Vergennes for a year and a half before working out a deal to lease the former Luigi’s Italian Specialties space at 191 Main Street, which they then fully renovated.
“We wanted to be more of a part of our community and to make a fun, affordable family restaurant for the town,” Zimmers said.
The menu features traditional round New York-style pizzas. Specialty pies that fit the vintage rock theme include the Jonny Rocker, topped with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella, basil, garlic and a balsamic glaze.
The restaurant also offers appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta dishes and a full kids’ menu. Rockers is open for takeout, curbside pickup and local delivery Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“People think it’s a franchise,” Zimmers said with a laugh. “There’s only one location. We’re local people, and we want this to be like a mom-and-pop pizza shop.”
The original print version of this article was headlined “Rockers Is Rolling”
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This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 1, 2020.
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