It's hard to believe it has been eleven years since Gerry Hunter opened the pizza shop down on 3rd Street. Over that time, 3rd St Pizza Co. has become one of those businesses that define the downtown area. What makes 3rd St. Pizza Company so special? The employees? The fresh ingredients? The customers? "All three," says Hunter, "that, and a little bit of love."

The "little pizza company that could," built by Hunter in the summer of 1997, features classic hand-tossed New York style pizza, calzones, chicken wings, sandwiches and salads. Their award-winning pizza is prepared the old fashioned way: fresh dough made daily, hand prepared sauce, and cooked on a hearth stone in a traditional oven.

"Most places today use conveyor-belt ovens that are faster and easier to use, but they just don't make the same product. I guess it's the difference between a hand-made product and one that's made assembly-line style. Our customers tell us they can taste the difference."

For some people, the best feature of the 3rd St Pizza Co. may be the Moonlight Theater. Located inside the same building, the theater has a full-size movie screen with 12-speaker surround sound that rivals the best in the industry. The theater also offers the chance to enjoy great pizza and your favorite beverage while watching the big-screen.

The Moonlight Theater is available to rent for your next birthday party, sports event, reunion, business meeting or for a private movie showing or video game party.

Adds Cindy Gregory, 3rd Street's General Manager, "The technology is great. We can show anything from home movies to DVDs to games - anything we want can be put on screen."

3rd Street Pizza Co. offers the well-known great-tasting pizza that has been voted "Best Pizza" in the "Best of Mac" survey since 1997.

"Being voted ‘Best of Mac' is what makes us proudest," Hunter remarked. "That survey is direct feedback from our customers."

It may be hard to believe that 3rd St. Pizza Company has been open for eleven years, but it's not hard to believe it will be here for many more to come.